


Travels of Passion

by StarShine583



Category: DC Batman - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, mild class salt, mild lila salt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:07:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 25,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28828641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarShine583/pseuds/StarShine583
Summary: When people as famous as the Waynes come to visit your city, the most you'd expect to get from them is a quick little smile. A hand shake if you're in the right place at the right time and extremely lucky. Marinette didn't really expect to get either, and she certainly didn't expect to get what she actually got.
Relationships: Damian/Marinette, Daminette - Relationship
Comments: 63
Kudos: 618





	1. First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the next completed story that I have! I'll try to get all of the chapters posted as soon as I can :)

“I can’t believe we’re going to see the Waynes!” Alya beamed as they walked towards the entrance of the building. 

Marinette nodded along, though she knew Alya was talking to Lila and not her. They didn’t really talk much nowadays. 

“It was so nice of them to fund our projects!” Rose squealed, clinging to Juleka’s arm. 

Chloe scoffed. “Of course it was. Why else would my Daddy throw this banquet for them?” 

The Waynes had been rather generous to Paris, funding a lot of the medical and scientific research. Last week they even gave a small donation to the school’s art projects, which is when Mayor Bourgeois decided to throw a party and have the Waynes as the guests of honor.

“It must be exciting to be reunited with your childhood friend, Lila.” Max spoke up.

The brunette sighed wistfully. “Oh yes, but I doubt Damian remembers me. It’s been such a long time since we last hung out together.” 

Marinette rolled her eyes. Right. Because despite Lila claiming she only traveled around _Europe_ , she also has a “childhood friend” in _America_. Seriously, does _no one_ see the inconsistencies?

Alya slung her arm around Lila’s shoulders, and winked. “Don’t worry, girl! I’m sure he remembers you just fine. We’ll make sure to get you up there.”

Lila pulled a tight smile, undoubtedly thinking up lies to prevent her from seeing the famous teen. 

-

The banquet hall was crowded, to say the least. People surrounded them from all sides, pressed up against walls and each other just to fit. A large stage with a single microphone was at the front of the room, pushing the people to the back.

“That’s where the Waynes will be!” Kim shouted over the chattering people.

“Then that’s where we’re going!” Alya declared, shoving her way through the throng. 

The class followed suit, but Marinette hesitated.

There were so many people. _Too many_ people. 

She covered her ears. Why was everything so loud?

“G-guys, wait up.” She whimpered, though her voice was easily drowned out. 

Marinette tried slipping past people to get to her classmates, but they just pushed her back again. 

Her breathing turned shallow when her back hit the wall, being forced all the way to the back. Everything was spinning. Her hands felt clammy as she gripped the sides of her shirt. Alya and Nino were nowhere in sight.

Her eyes darted around the room for an exit, heart racing. Too many people. Too loud. Too _much_. She needed to escape. She needed _air_. 

A door. There was a door not far from her with a small, golden sign. 

Without a second thought, she scrambled towards it, fumbling with the handle for a moment before ripping it open and stumbling inside. 

The door closed behind her, and she sank to the ground, curling up in a ball. 

_Remember the breathing exercises_. She told herself.

_In._

_2.._

_3.._

_Out._

_2.._

_3.._

_In-_

“Miss?” 

Marinette yelped, her gaze snapping upwards.

Sharp, olive green eyes stared down at her with worry. 

A boy, no older than herself.

“Are you alright?” He asked, kneeling to her level.

Marinette drew in a few extra deep breaths, half-heartedly stating, “Yeah, I just.. I don’t know..” 

His uncannily refined eyebrows knitted together. “Do you need a nurse? I can find one for you.” 

She shook her head. “N-no that’s not necessary. Thank you though.” 

A frown tugged at the corner of the boy’s lips. 

“Okay.” He looked around, as if he were checking for something, then his gaze flicked to his watch. 

Finally, he moved to her left side and sat down. “Do you mind if I stay here for a bit?”

Marinette pursed her lips, feeling a blush creep across her cheeks. “I-I mean, if you want to..” 

She hadn’t the slightest idea why a random stranger would take the time to sit with her, but it was comforting to know she wasn’t completely alone, even if it was just for the moment. 

“I’m Marinette.” She shyly introduced. 

He gave a small smile, opening his mouth to respond when-

“Damian!” 

A man that looked to be in his late twenties abruptly entered the room, fixing- Damian, was it? -with a pointed look.

“Bruce told you not to wander off.” 

Damian rolled his eyes. “I didn’t ‘wander off’. This is the VIP room.” 

Marinette’s eyes widened. That must have been what the golden sign said. Oh, let’s hope she doesn’t get in trouble for this.

Then something else clicked in her mind.

“Wait, ‘Damian’? As in, ‘Damian _Wayne_ ’ Damian?” 

The two turned to her, both looking somewhat surprised. 

“You didn’t know?” The man was the first to ask. 

A blush of embarrassment washed over her cheeks. Truth be told, she’d heard a lot about the Waynes, but never seen any pictures. 

“I-uh- guess I’m not really up to date on some stuff.” She said lamely, her cheeks growing warmer with every word.

Again, the boys only stared.

“Huh.” The man finally shrugged, stepping forward and extending his hand to her. “Well, my name is Dick Greyson. It’s nice to meet you.” 

His warm, blue eyes caused Marinette to relax, and she took his hand. “Marinette. It’s nice to meet you too.” 

Dick nodded with a welcoming smile, before turning back to Damian, who still hadn’t said a word. “Anyway, we gotta go. It’s time to greet everyone.” 

Damian quietly complied, getting to his feet. She couldn’t quite catch his expression, but he seemed.. relieved, like he just realized he made a right decision.

She wasn’t sure what prompted her to do such a thing, but she stood up as well.

“S-so, will I see you? Out in the- in the banquet hall, I mean.” 

Damian glanced back at her, a thoughtful look on his face.

“If you want to.” He then answered, a smile clear in his tone despite his neutral expression. 

She didn’t even have to contemplate the response. 

“Yes.” 

He smirked, partially giving in to the joy hiding behind his eyes. 

“Then I’ll see you out there.” 


	2. Change of Plans

It took a good few minutes to find her group again. They’d managed to get to the very front, right next to the stage on the left side. Alya wasn’t too happy when she saw her. 

“Marinette, quit messing around. You missed the Mayor’s speech.” She scolded, only giving her a brief glance before turning to the front again.

Marinette mentally sighed. Did Alya even really care she went missing?

A high pitched wine from the microphone cut through the speakers, hushing the crowds around her. Bruce Wayne stood on the stage, his stance screaming “Power” and “Influence”. If she stood on her tiptoes, Marinette could see Damian and Dick standing behind him. 

“I’d like to thank you all for the warm welcome you’ve given us.” Mister Wayne began. “It’s always an honor to attend these banquets and meet new people.”

A small round of applause swept through the crowd, and Bruce held up his hand with a smile to quiet them once more. Marinette couldn’t help, but admire how composed and collected he appeared to be. 

“I couldn’t bring my entire family for work-related reasons, but I did bring my oldest and my youngest.” He informed, turning to gesture towards the two. “Dick and Damian.” 

The boys each gave a short nod as a greeting, something she assumed had been rehearsed several times. 

Bruce continued speaking, but Marinette found herself focusing on Damian instead. He seemed to be scanning the room, if the slight turn of his head was any indication. When his eyes landed on her, though, he stopped. 

For whatever reason, She felt another blush wash over her face. What was her problem today? 

Alya gasped, frantically shaking Lila’s arm and whispering, “Girl, check it out! He’s staring at you! I told you he’d remember!” 

Lila smiled sweetly. “O-oh yeah? I guess he does.” 

Marinette resisted the urge to gag. Even if Damian _was_ looking at her, it wouldn’t be out of recognition. He’d probably be scrutinizing her sausage hair or something. 

Bruce finished his speech, humbly letting Mayor Bourgeois take the stage again.

“We will now begin the banquet. The Waynes have a special table, but you are free to sit at any other table of your choosing. The buffet is on the side. Enjoy!” 

The crowd began shuffling around the room to find seats and food, including Marinette’s classmates. Chloe simply sneered something about eating with her daddy and the Waynes before strutting off. Sabrina, of course, scrambled after her.

“Come on.” Alya urged, starting her way through the mess of people again. “We’ve gotta help Lila see her childhood friend!” 

The class heartily agreed, helping Alya get close to the wall so they could move around the crowd easier.

Marinette stifled a snicker when Lila cringed. As interesting as this would be, she wasn’t sure she wanted Lila anywhere near Damian. He seemed too nice for that kind of trouble.

Her eyes flicked to the stage, only to realize Damian wasn’t there anymore. That wouldn’t have been so odd had it not been for the fact that Bruce and Dick were still on stage and talking with the Mayor. 

Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed her arm. Marinette nearly screamed, attempting to yank herself away from the iron grip.

“Calm down. It’s me.” A familiar voice whispered, letting go and holding up his hand in a “woah” sort of gesture.

Marinette blinked, turning to see a hand sticking out of one of the curtains. 

“Damian?” She asked incredulously, keeping her voice hushed as well.

He pushed the curtain back to reveal his face in response. How did he get there so quickly? Without anyone noticing too?

“I need a favor.” He said, cautiously stepping back behind the curtain. She understood why. As soon as someone saw him, they’d be swarmed.

Marinette casually leaned against the wall next to the curtain, acting as if she were waiting for someone. 

“Sure. What do you need?” He was the one who helped her earlier. It was only fair to return the gesture.

“A guide.” 

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. “A guide?” 

The curtain shifted, which she took as a nod.

“For Paris. I wanna look around.” 

“What about the banquet?” Won’t he get in trouble?

She heard a scoff. 

“I’ve done my part. The people here only want to get something out of us anyway. No offense.” 

Marinette giggled. “None taken. So how do we get escape? Everyone’s watching for you.” 

Damian opened the curtain again to reveal his mischievous smile. 

“I know a way, but we’ve got to hurry.” He slipped his hand into hers, causing Marinette’s heart to flutter. 

Next thing she knew, she was being dragged through curtains and behind statues and under tables. When did he find the time to think this through? Not to mention, he was extremely quick on his feet. Each movement almost felt planned and calculated. It was uncanny, but intriguing. She wondered what things he must do to be so nimble.

Within a few short minutes they were standing next to the exit.

“Are you sure you won’t get in trouble?” Marinette asked tentatively. She didn’t want him to get punished for leaving without permission.

Damian shrugged. “Doubt it. I’d rather punishment over this anyway.”

Marinette pursed her lips, indecisive. 

Noticing her hesitation, he let go of her hand- much to her disappointment- and opened the door. “If it makes you feel better, I was going to look around Paris whether you came or not. I just figured it would be easier to have someone who knew the city.” 

She sighed. That did make it a little easier, since she didn’t want him to get lost, and she already agreed to help him..

“Alright. As long as you don’t get in too much trouble.” Marinette relented, stepping outside first. 

Damian followed with a satisfied smile. “Any suggestions on where to go first?” 

She hummed, rocking on her feet as she looked around. 

“Well, I know this one café that has great lattes.” 

He nodded and gestured for her to take the lead. 

She gladly obliged, feeling a bit more enthusiastic about this trip already. 


	3. Summer Escapades

“So how often do you do things like this?” Marinette couldn’t help asking as they wandered through the streets of Paris.

“Do things like what?” Damian asked in turn, strolling along next to her.

Marinette threw him a teasing smirk. “Steal random girls so you can ditch parties.”

Damian nearly tripped over himself at the comment.

“I told you that you didn’t have to come.” He frowned, clearly a little offended she would think such a thing.

Nevertheless, she laughed, playfully nudging his arm. “I’m just kidding.”

He relaxed a little and tisked. “Where did you say this cafe was again?” 

_Trying to change the subject._ She thought with a coy smile.

“It’s right up ahead, actually.”

The Couronnee Cafe, one of her favorite places to go after a long day of sketching at her usual spots around the city.

The pair walked inside, and Marinette took a deep breath, thoroughly enjoying the smell of freshly brewed coffee and tarte tatin. 

“You come here often.” Damian denoted, glancing at the cheerful cashier who greeted her by name.

“Mostly on the weekends.” Marinette confirmed, stepping forward to give her usual order. A creamy, vanilla latte with one shot of espresso and two pumps of syrup.

“Do you want anything?” She asked after finishing her order.

Damian clicked his tongue, his eyes scanning over the menu on the wall above them. 

“Lattes aren’t really my thing.. Do they have any normal coffee?”

The cashier nodded, already getting the screen ready for his order, but Marinette gasped. She could hardly believe her ears.

“You _don’t like_ lattes??”

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, his expression turning sheepish. “Well, I’ve.. never really had one..” 

A whole new wave of horror washed over her face.

“You’ve _never_ had a _latte_?!” 

Damian shifted uncomfortably, taking a hand out of his pocket to run his fingers through his somewhat spiky, pitch black hair. 

“I’m not really one to try new things.” He grumbled.

Marinette put a hand over her heart dramatically as if he’d personally offended her. She would certainly argue that he had.

“You’re trying one.” She stated, leaving no room for argument. He was gonna taste a latte, and he was gonna _like_ it! Or _so help her-_

Damian held his hands up in resignation. At least he was smart enough not to refuse.

She simply told the cashier to double her order. Then proceeded to show him where she usually sat. It was a small table for two in the corner of the coffee shop that provided a perfect view of everyone inside. Since it was next to a window, you were able to see a few people _outside_ as well. 

“Nice little nest you’ve got here.” Damian joked, sitting in the chair closest to the wall. 

Marinette pushed back the slight uneasiness as she sat across from him. Being Ladybug, she’d developed the habit of facing the entrances and exits when visiting somewhere. It put her at ease to know she would see things first, should something happen. 

_But it’s alright._ She assured herself, chuckling when Damian pointed out the pencil marks on the table. _I can let him have the seat for today._

It only took a few minutes for one of the employees to bring out their lattes, though she only gave them one spoon. (she also had this giddy grin on her face, whatever that was about.) Either way, Damian insisted he didn’t need the spoon and simply handed it over to Marinette. 

They bumped their cups together in a mock “Cheers”, and Marinette watched with anticipation as he took a sip.

“So..? What do you think?” 

Damian stared down at the drink for what had to be a solid minute. She couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“It’s delicious..” He suddenly whispered, his eyes practically sparkling when he looked up at her. “ _How_ have I not tried these before??” 

Marinette giggled and shrugged her shoulders. “No idea. I don’t think I could _live_ without lattes.”

Saying she had an addiction to these sorts of drinks would be quite accurate, to be honest.

“I don’t blame you.” Damian chuckled, taking another sip. How was he drinking it so fast? The lattes were fresh so it had to be burning his tongue by now.

But Damian only gave a blissful sigh, sinking into his chair with a contented smile.

“So what about you?” His question was so sudden and seemingly out of the blue that Marinette briefly wondered if she’d spaced out through a whole other part of the conversation. 

“I’m sorry?”

Damian straightened again to elaborate. “You asked me earlier about ‘stealing you away to ditch the party’, but what about you? Weren’t you with a group of people?” 

Oh. Right. Them.

The grip on her cup tightened. 

“Yeah, I did. I’m not so sure they attended with me, though..” The words had slipped out of her mouth before she even knew what she was saying, and she stiffened. What was she doing? Telling her woes to a complete stranger? 

A small, yet heavy silence fell between them. He didn’t want to hear about her problems. She was just there to show him around Paris, no more, no less. This was not the time for grievances or insecurities. 

She flinched when Damian abruptly set his cup down on the table just a bit too hard. 

“I wanna do something fun.” He remarked, an odd edge to his tone. “Does Paris have anything exciting to do?” 

Marinette faltered. “Uh.. I mean, like.. There’s an amusement park, I guess?”

Why the sudden urge to do something exciting?

Damian nodded. “Great. Let’s go.” 

He stood up, taking his drink with him, and put a few bills on the table for the drinks. 

“Uh, okay?” She frowned, getting up as well. They were just gonna leave? When did they decide who was paying?

Damian was at the door within seconds, patiently waiting for her to scramble after him. 

“Wait, are you gonna wear that?” She asked as they walked outside, looking over his black tuxedo. 

He did the same, before pulling a small smile. “I guess it’s not exactly ideal.”

A giggle bubble out of Marinette’s chest, and she shook her head. A tux definitely wasn’t ideal for an amusement park.

She then lit up like a Christmas tree, a bright smile growing on her lips. “I have the _perfect_ idea! But we have to stop somewhere first.” 

Damian didn’t have the chance to respond as Marinette immediately started dragging him off in the direction of the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Hopefully her parents wouldn’t smother him to death before she could get his measurements.


	4. A Fitting Situation

The tiny bell above the door jingled as they entered the bakery. Marinette already had a million different designs she wanted to try on Damian. He had so much potential!

“Where are we?” Damian asked, taking in the small shop.

“I wanted to stop by my house real quick.”

He scrunched up his nose, confused. “You live in a bakery?”

Marinette giggled. She was used to those kinds of responses by now. 

Before she could explain further, her mother called out to them from the kitchen. “Marinette? Is that you?” 

“Yeah, it’s me. I came by to grab something.” She called back, starting to make her way to the stairs.

Sabine and Tom immediately walked out to greet her with bright smiles and a tray of freshly baked goods.

“I thought you were at the banquet with your friends? What happened to…” Her mother gradually trailed off, eyes trained on Damian. 

The boy visibly stiffened when Tom turned to him as well, utter shock written all over the couple’s faces.

“Is that..?”

“Damian Wayne.” Marinette nodded, coming back to his side with a nervous smile. They wouldn’t be too weird about this visit, right? Or about her trying to bring a boy to her room? Sure, it was just to try on clothes, but you never knew when it came to her parents.

Tom’s tray slipped from his fingers, creating a loud *CRASH* and sending cookies everywhere. He didn’t move to pick them up, continuing to stare at Damian with a slack-jaw. 

Marinette buried her face in her hands and groaned. Why were they being so quiet? This was so embarrassing.

As if on queue, Sabine sprang back to life, rushing over with a wide grin.

“Forgive my manners, it’s so nice to meet you! I’ve heard so much about your family. We really are grateful for what you’ve done for us.” She beamed, pulling him into a hug. 

The flash of panic on Damian’s face towards the abrupt hug made Marinette snort. She almost felt bad for him.

Almost.

It was when Tom came over that she moved aside. That man had no mercy when it came to his bear hugs.

Damian found this out soon enough when Tom picked up both him and Sabine.

“Welcome to our home! Come by whenever you like.” He stated heartily. 

Damian forced a small smile, though it looked more like a distorted glare. “Uh, thanks.”

The coos and hugs continued without much sign of stopping for about ten minutes straight. Marinette finally had the compassion to intervene when he looked about ready to murder someone or pass out from how hard Tom was squeezing him. 

“Alright, alright, he’s had enough. Besides, we’re kind of in a hurry.” She said, almost having to rip Damian from their hands.

Sabine and Tom reluctantly let him go, but that didn’t stop either from asking more questions.

“Where are you headed?”

“Did he ask you for something?”

“How did you two meet anyway?”

Marinette let out a nervous laugh, ushering Damian up the stairs as quickly as possible. Looks like she’d need to make a plan to escape the bakery too.

“Sorry about them. They can be a little.. Overwhelming.” She apologized once they were out of hearing range.

Damian nodded in agreement, glancing back towards the entryway of the bakery. “Yeah.. but they remind me of some people I know. In a way.”

Marinette raised her eyebrows in surprise. Other people as over-the-top as her parents? Now that was a shock.

She led him up the second flight of stairs, through the trapdoor to her bedroom. It was a bit messy with some loose projects scattered here and there, but she should be able to find him some clothes easily.

“So this is your room?” Damian asked, taking it upon himself to look around.

Marinette offered him a shy smile and tucked some of her hair behind her ears. “Yep! This is mine.” 

He didn’t respond, instead continuing around the room. He inspected the pictures on her walls, ran his hand over some of her designs, and even held a few of her hand made plush dolls.

“I know it’s weird to say because we just met, but this room is very.. You.” 

Marinette chuckled and glanced at him from her desk where she was fishing for her things to get started on the outfit. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” 

She then pulled out a long, white tape measure and some pins. Without a word, she strolled over to Damian and wrapped the tape measure around his waist, pulling it tight to get the exact measurements.

Damian flinched, raising his arms and looking down at her with an incredulous expression. “What are you doing?” 

“Measurements.” Was the only answer she gave, swiftly taking the tape measure back and looking him over. 

“You look like a black and red kinda guy.” She said, snapping her fingers. Or maybe green? Either way, she would try anything she had.

Marinette walked over to the closet and dug around in there for a bit before throwing out a few different types of clothing. By the time she was done picking things out, she had a small pile for him to try on.

“Hurry up and put these on. I wanna see them all.” Marinette instructed, all too eagerly handing him the outfits.

A frown tugged at the corner of his lips, but he didn’t argue, wandering over to the bathroom to change.

The first outfit was a black t-shirt with a long-sleeved, button up T-shirt on top of it and jeans. Marinette didn’t feel like it worked well, though, so she had him try on the next one. A red hoodie with a black leather jacket and ripped up, black jeans. Close, but not quite. The third outfit was another black T-shirt with a red hoodie and grey jeans. 

Yes! She thought excitedly, jotting the idea down. Of course, it was still summer. So that would probably be hot..

He went ahead and tried on the last outfit. A half sleeved, blood red shirt that turned black around the shoulders and sleeves, accompanied with a pair of dark grey jeans. 

Marinette squealed, hopping up to circle him for a better look. “It’s perfect! What do you think?” 

Damian glanced down at his outfit thoughtfully. 

“I like it.” He said with a small smile that put Marinette’s excitement through the roof. “And you made these yourself?” 

She nodded, trying not to burst. Damian Wayne liked her outfits!

He looked genuinely impressed and picked up the other clothes she’d given him. “Do you mind if I take this too?”

“Absolutely!” Marinette grinned. She wasn’t sure if he would actually wear them after today, but he didn’t seem like the type to do things for the sake of courtesy.

Damian neatly folded the last outfit and set it on top of his suit. “I’ll have someone come and take them to the hotel we’re staying at.” 

Marinette smirked. Exactly something a rich person would say.

After she made some finishing touches on the outfit, Damian and Marinette left the bakery to start the walk to the amusement park. It was farther now because of the route they took, but Marinette found that she didn’t mind the extra blocks. It gave them some more time to talk together.

Unfortunately, they didn’t make it far.

They’d just turned onto a street when something crashed into the building next to them. A large boulder off the roof came tumbling onto them, and before Marinette could react, Damian grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall, using his body as a sort of shield. 

The chunk of building landed right in front of them, blowing dust and debris everywhere.

Marinette tried to level her breathing as she looked him over for injuries. How did he react so fast? Not to mention, why would he put himself in danger so recklessly!

“Are you okay?” He asked, looking her over as well.

Was she okay? He’s the one that almost got hit by a building! 

An eerie laugh sounded over head, and the two looked up to see none other than an akuma standing haughtily on another building. 

“I have to go” Damian and Marinette said in unison.

Their eyes met, both a bit surprised. She couldn’t help but notice how close they were, his hands pining her to the wall. Or how she could still smell his cologne despite him wearing her clothes..

She shook her head, fighting back the blush crawling up her neck. Now was not the time for that!

“Get to safety.” She ordered, ducking out of his hold. 

Damian nodded and started running in the other direction. For it being his first time in an akuma attack, he had an uncanny sense of calm.

They gave each other a final, reluctant glance before Marinette turned the corner to find a place to transform.


	5. Surprise Guests

Ladybug was on the scene as quickly as possible, arriving only seconds before Chat Noir.

“Afternoon, M’Lady. What have we got on our hands today?” He asked with a smirk, idly spinning his baton in his hands.

“Looks like we’re about to find out.” Ladybug replied, shifting into a fighting stance as they faced the akuma. It appeared to be girl wearing a fluffed out party dress with an unreasonable amount of bows and streamers on it.

The akuma turned to them with a huff. “Ladybug and Chat Noir. I see _you’ve_ ditched the party as well.” 

The two heroes shared a glance. Ditched the Party? What does she mean?

“I am Banderole.” She continued with a sneer. “And once I have your miraculous, no one will be able to escape _my_ party! Not even Damian Wayne!” 

Ladybug’s eyes widened. Oh, _that_ party. She must have been one of the crazed fans at the banquet. Marinette hadn’t considered how disappointed some people would be if she helped Damian sneak out.

“Thanks for the invitation, but my schedule’s full.” Chat Noir grinned, lunging forward with his baton.

Banderole spun to the side, taking two, long streamers from her dress and cracking them on the ground like whips. 

Ladybug followed after the two with her yo-yo, each keeping one of the streamers occupied. She had to admit, Banderole had some quick reflexes, but with two against one, they were gaining on her.

“Do you see the akuma?” Chat grunted, redirecting another ribbon attack.

Ladybug narrowed her eyes. Akuma.. Akuma.. How was she supposed to find a spot for the akuma when Banderole’s outfit was packed with accessories?

Finally, she noticed something when the akuma ducked to avoid her yo-yo. A bow, bright pink and tied up in Banderole’s hair. It’s the only ribbon that was by itself.

“Yes! Do it now!” She ordered.

Chat Noir nodded, and the two stopped, letting Banderole’s ribbons wrap around their weapons.

Banderole growled, taking another step back only to realize they’d cornered her against a chimney.

“What are you gonna do without you’re weapons now, huh?” Chat asked smugly, waving his staff that still had her ribbon around it.

His smile faded when Banderole chuckled. “Who says I’m without them?”

Neither had enough time to react. The akuma pulled on the ribbons, before suddenly letting go. The ribbons shot towards their targets, swiftly winding around the weapons and heroes.

Ladybug and Chat Noir fell to the ground, writhing around to escape the hold.

“Chat Noir, use your cataclysm!”

Chat Noir grit his teeth. “Can’t. My hands are tied to my weapon.” 

Banderole tutted, easily kneeling next to Ladybug. “You guys have gotten sloppy, haven’t you?”

Ladybug’s blood ran cold at the comment, and the akuma brushed her hair to the side to reveal her earrings.

“I guess it only makes things easier on me. You’re going to _love_ my party!” 

Her mind raced with panic. This was not good! They need a plan! A Lucky Charm! _Something_!

Banderole reached out to take the earrings, but was stopped when something black flew through the air and hit her wrist.

The Akuma hissed, bringing her hand to her chest and looking around for the offender.

Ladybug and Chat Noir turned their heads as well, just in time to see.. Was that a bat shaped knife?

The weapon circled around the air, landing in the hands of another surprise. A boy, dressed in a costume of red and black with a yellow and black cape and a green domino mask.

“Let the heroes go.” He ordered, standing tall and confident. 

Banderole scoffed, taking another pair of ribbons from her dress. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you are in _no_ position to-”

The “caped avenger” was on her in an instant, using a handstand flip to kick her straight in the chest.

Banderole stumbled backwards, stunned and gasping for air. The boy didn’t seem to care and continued his advance on her.

She scrambled backwards, whipping her streamers left and right to get a hold on him, but he smoothly evaded each attack, getting closer and closer.

It only took a matter of minutes for him to catch up with her again. He blocked her whips one last time, before spin-kicking her square in the face.

Banderole landed on her back, knocked out cold.

Chat Noir and Ladybug stared in shock. That was the first time someone defeated an akuma without the use of weapons or magic. 

Once the akuma was taken care of, the boy pulled the ribbon from her hair, and approached Ladybug.

 _He must have heard me earlier_. She thought as he knelt beside her.

Without a word, he pulled out another- yes, she’d seen it right -bat shaped knife and cut her free.

“Who are you?” Ladybug asked, brushing the streamers off of her and sitting up.

“I think you mean ‘thank you’.” He responded, handing her the ribbon and moving to free Chat Noir next.

Ladybug frowned. “Sorry, thank you. We don’t usually get visiting heroes.”

 _Especially ones without a miraculous._

She broke the akumatized item and waited for the black butterfly to appear before swiftly purifying it.

“What’s that supposed to do?” The boy asked, eyeing the now white butterfly as it flew away.

“It stops it from multiplying.” Chat Noir answered as he stood up from his own set of streamers.

The hero narrowed his eyes. “Wouldn’t it be easier to keep the butterfly, then? It’s the cause of the problems, correct?” 

Ladybug and Chat Noir exchanged a glance. This was obviously his first time in Paris. 

“The butterfly only exists as long as Hawkmoth is transformed.” 

“And by transformed, you mean..?” The boy pressed, gesturing for her to continue speaking. 

Ladybug held back a sigh. The miraculous transformation wasn’t something you could really _explain_ , nor give an example of due to the circumstances. 

She drew in a breath to attempt some sort of explanation when a beeping sound reached their ears, but it wasn’t from their miraculous. 

The boy’s gaze flicked down to his wrist, a scowl of irritation crossing his lips. “Looks like you’ll have to tell me more later.” 

He took out some sort of gun- wait, no. A _grappling_ _hook_?? -and shot it into the air. He then used the device to swing away in a similar manner that Ladybug does with her yo-yo.

“…Well, wasn’t _he_ a character? Think we’ll ever see him again?” Chat Noir asked, coming to her side.

Ladybug only shrugged. She kind of hoped they would. Something about him struck her as familiar.. in a good way.

But she could think about that later. Right now, she had a miraculous cure to release.


	6. Close Calls

Damian stashed away his grappling hook, glancing around the alley he landed in. 

“You better hope no one saw you like that.” 

He rolled his eyes, turning to face his older adopted brother, Dick. “I don’t remember asking you to keep tabs on me.” 

“Damian.” Bruce cut in from behind Dick with a stern tone. “I told you to lay low while we were here.”

Damian crossed his arms. “Wasn’t our whole purpose for coming here supposed to be investigating Hawkmoth for the League?”

“Yes, but as far as they know, we’re here for a special banquet.”

“A banquet that you ditched, by the way.” Dick spoke up, none too pleased about the stunt.

Damian smirked anyway. No regrets. Sneaking off with Marinette had been more fun than he expected. After finding her so panicked in the VIP room, he was pleasantly surprised to see how confident she was during their walk. She didn’t even flinch when the building nearly crushed-

“Crap!” He almost yelled, already taking out his grappling hook again. How could he forget about them splitting up? What if she was still hiding? Or looking for him? 

The gun was taken out of his hands before he could shoot it properly.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Dick asked, holding the gun above his head. 

Damian glared at him, sharply stating, “It’s none of your business.”

Dick held it higher when Damian reached for it, and he was extremely close to taking it by force. He needed to get back to Marinette and make sure she was okay. If she got hurt in a villain attack because he asked her to show him around Paris-

“It’s that pigtails girl, isn’t it? I thought I saw someone else when you were sneaking past those statues.” His brother mused.

Damian growled, about ready to break Dick’s legs or just go on foot, when Bruce stepped in again.

“You can’t go, Damian. You’ve already blown our cover. We need to get back to the hotel before someone starts to suspect something.“ 

His fists clenched at his side. So he can’t even go check on her as Damian? "It’s our job to protect the innocent. The heroes here didn’t even know she was caught in the middle of battle!”

He ignores Dick’s smug look from guessing correctly.

Bruce narrowed his eyes. “Our job is to finish this mission and make sure the threat of Hawkmoth’s villains will stay in Paris. We already know Ladybug’s power can fix the damage of the attacks.” A twitch of a smile crossed his lips. "Your girlfriend will be fine.“ 

A scarlet blush spread over Damian’s cheeks, thankfully hidden by the mask. "She’s not-”

“ Yeah, whatever. Put these on so we can go.” Dick interrupted, throwing him the outfit that Marinette gave him. They must have found it in the car. Damian thought he would ask about where they came from, but the look on Dick’s face proved that he already had an idea of what the answer would be.

He glowered at the two as he left to go find a secluded place to change. He’s going to have to send an apology note with the servant he sends for the other clothes. Stupid hero responsibilities. 

-

“So,” Bruce began once Damian returned, “if you’re expecting no punishment, then I’m assuming the trip was productive. Did you find out anything else?”

“Apparently, the butterflies disappear once Hawkmoth ‘isn’t transformed’. That’s why they let the butterflies go. Ladybug uses her weapon to ‘purify’ the butterflies to stop them from multiplying.”

“Do you think that’s what happened on Hero’s Day? They forgot to purify an akuma?” Dick thought aloud, looking to Bruce.

The man hummed. “Not likely. All of those villains were different. The news feed from the first fight two years ago showed the multiplication of the same villain.”

Damian nodded. As informative as the media was, it never gave a direct explanation on how the heroes’ powers work or why Hawkmoth was after them specifically. That’s why the Justice League sent them here, to get more answers and keep a lid on the situation.

“We’re going to need to talk with one of the civilians.” Bruce decided, turning to Damian. “How much do you think that girl knows?” 

A smirk crept onto his lips. “Plenty.” 

She’d have all the knowledge they needed if it meant he could go check on her.

Bruce and Dick exchanged looks, probably reading his thoughts. 

Nevertheless, Bruce nodded. “Alright. We’ll go back to the hotel room for today. Tomorrow, you can go work on that while Dick and I ‘check’ on the places we’re funding with the mayor.”

Not exactly what Damian was hoping for, but he’d take it. Tomorrow it is.


	7. Motorcycle Madness

Marinette rolled her pencil back and forth across her desk as she waited for class to start. Yesterday had been quite an adventure. She got to personally hang out with Damian Wayne _and_ meet a new hero. (whose name turned out to be “Robin”, according to the internet)

“Are you sure you’re okay, girl?” Alya asked, gently stroking Lila’s back. 

“No, no. I’m fine, really.” Lila said with a sniffle. Gosh, that girl was faker than the “Designer” jacket she claimed to be wearing.

“I knew there wasn’t a chance I’d get to talk to him, anyway.”

The other students surrounding the brunette huddled closer to show their support.

“Hey, be positive! They’re still in town for one more week. Maybe you’ll still get to see him!” Alya encouraged, with the rest of the students nodding along. 

Marinette just rolled her eyes. Right. Like _that_ was going to happen.

She had to admit, she was a little more than disappointed when one of the employees from the Mayor’s hotel told her that Damian wouldn’t be able to go to the amusement park. She was looking forward to spending more time with him. 

_Should’ve known better._ Marinette thought, turning her pencil to spin it on the desk instead. I mean, he was a famous, rich boy from _America_ for Pete’s sake. Showing him around Paris was a miracle in and of itself already. It was simply naive of her to think she’d be able to go to the amusement park with him too.

Suddenly, the revving of an engine filled the hallway, and people started running to the front of the school.

“Woah!”

“What’s happening? Is someone here?”

“What’s going on?”

A few students asked among themselves, trying to lean out the classroom door to see.

“Let’s find out!” Alya grinned, jumping up and pulling Lila out the door.

Marinette followed them, her curiosity getting the best of her.

It was hard to see at first, with everyone crowded on the front steps of the school, but after pushing a few people to the side and standing on her tiptoes, she managed to see what all the commotion was about.

Someone had parked in front of the school with a black and red motorcycle, wearing a black helmet that obstructed their face.

“Who do you think it is?” Alya said eagerly next to Lila.

Marinette narrowed her eyes. Dark grey jeans, black T-shirt, blood red jacket.. she’d seen that outfit before..

No, not seen it. She’d _made_ it.

The mysterious visitor took off his helmet, and the crowd shrieked with excitement.

“Oh my gosh, it’s Damian Wayne!”

“What’s he doing here!”

“Damian!”

Everyone was going absolutely wild about his unexpected presence, specifically Alya. 

“Girl, what did I tell you! He came here to get you!” She squealed over the crowds. 

Lila was unusually quiet as she stared at the boy, but Marinette was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to notice.

Damian was here. He was here at the school _right now_. Was it just a coincidence? It had to be, right?

His eyes scanned over the swarm of people, and she had a strong sense of Deja vu when he caught sight of her and stopped.

Marinette took a step forward as if on instinct, only to be pushed aside by Alya.

“Damian!” The reporter greeted, dragging Lila behind her. “Are you here to see Lila?” 

His expression darkened towards the pair. “Who?” 

Lila’s face twisted in panic, which Marinette found quite satisfying.

Alya, on the other hand, seemed irritated and pulled Lila in front of her. “Lila! Your child-hood friend!”

The scowl that appeared towards the comment made some of the other students back up.

“I’ve never met this girl in my life. Now make yourself useful and step to the side so I can talk with Marinette.”

The ‘audience’ gasped, both from his lack of manners and request for someone _other_ than Lila. 

Nevertheless, they parted, creating a clear path for Marinette to walk through.

Obviously, she didn’t hesitate to meet him at the bottom of the steps. 

“I see you managed to make it here without my skillful guidance.” She teased, fighting down the blush that was starting to creep up her neck. Damian had come here. _For her_. Wearing _her_ outfit. How did he even find out which school she was going to?

He smirked and gave a small shrug. “Yeah, but it’s easier to just follow you.”

You could _hear_ everyone’s jaw drop to the ground. Did Damian Wayne just admit to wanting to _follow_ Marinette around Paris? And _smiled_ while he said it??

“Besides,” He continued, handing her his helmet, “You promised me a trip to the amusement park.”

Marinette snorted despite herself and took the helmet. “I didn’t _promise_.” 

Damian moved forward on the seat of the motorcycle, gesturing for her to sit down. “Do you wanna go anyway?” 

That’s when Marinette grinned. She strapped on the helmet and hopped onto the back of the motorcycle, wrapping her arms around Damian’s waist. If that didn’t answer his question, she wasn’t sure what would.

“Wait!” Alya protested. “When did you two even meet? And what about Lila? You really don’t remember her?” 

Damian sent her a small glare. “Where I met Marinette is none of your business. As for ‘Lila’, I don’t have any childhood friends. She’s lying.” 

The sound of the motorcycle’s engine drowned out Alya’s sputters as they sped off. 

A hearty laugh escaped Marinette’s lips, and she hugged him tighter. Oh yes, today was going to be a _great_ day.


	8. Hooked on a Feeling

Marinette heard the roller coasters before she saw them. The rattling of the tracks and the giddy screams was a nice change from the crashing buildings and screams of terror that came from akuma attacks.

The Motorcycle rolled to a stop in the parking lot, and the two climbed off.

“So where did you rent this from?” Marinette asked, handing him his helmet.

“I didn’t.” Damian replied, hanging the helmet on the motorcycle handle and stashing the keys in his back pocket.

“Didn’t?”

“Didn’t rent it.”

Marinette blinked. “Wait, you _own_ this?”

Damian tilted his head from side to side in a “sort of” gesture. 

“It’s more of a ‘hand-me-down’, but yes.” 

Marinette scoffed. _Hand-me-down_? This thing is in mint condition!

She ran her hand over the motorcycle in admiration.

“What’s this?” 

Near the rear of the motorcycle, resting just underneath the seat, was a yellow R symbol that looked vaguely familiar. Hadn’t she seen it on Robin’s costume?

“Oh that?” Damian asked, following her gaze. “That’s just the brand symbol.”

“Brand symbol..” Marinette repeated under her breath. Why would a hero buy his costume from an ordinary store? What brand sells clothes _and_ vehicles? 

Strange..

“Are you ready to go?” 

Marinette shook her head, pushing the thoughts to the side and glancing up at Damian with a smile. Robin was on their side, so there was no reason to wonder about simple things like coincidental brand symbols.

She straightened. “Yep! Ready to go when you are. What do you want to do first?” 

“Doesn’t matter as long as we do it all.” He smirked, starting the walk into the amusement park.

Naturally, they started with the roller coasters. The spinning ones, the ones with loops, the ones that were so high that they lifted you off of your seat on the way down- they rode them all. Being a weekday, there weren’t as many people crowding the lines. That made it all the easier to ride the rides several times over again.

“Am I supposed to feel sick after a while?” Damian asked as they strolled to the next ride.

Marinette giggled and patted him on the shoulder. “You’ve never been to an amusement park before, have you?” 

“I have. Once or twice.” He admitted. “We didn’t get to ride any of the rides though.” 

She furrowed her eyebrows. People don’t usually go to amusement parks, and then not ride anything. 

“Why not?” 

Damian’s gaze flicked to her, oddly distant for a moment.

Then he looked ahead again. “Stuff came up.”

A frown tugged at the corner of her lips. That was an extremely vague answer..

“Do you want to get some water? I’m kind of hungry anyway.” She asked next, directing him towards the food station. She supposed it was rude to pry. So they might as well change the subject.

He appeared to appreciate it, a small smile coming back to his lips along with his shoulders relaxing. “Water should be fine, but I’m hungry too. What food do they have here?” 

Marinette snorted. “If you can call it food. They have Cotton Candy, Funnel Cake, Corn Dogs, Popcorn- mostly sugar that has a few extra ingredients to hold it together.”

Damian raised an eyebrow. “Well, I don’t want Cotton Candy. What was the other thing you said? Funnel Cake? What is that?” 

She gave a blissful, dramatic sigh. “It’s _heavenly_. I’ll get some to share.” 

They found a table near the stand, and Marinette got in line to order. A few minutes later, she gave Damian his water and set the plate of Funnel Cake between them.

“It’s hot, so be careful.” She warned, carefully breaking apart some of the pieces to cool it down faster.

Damian took the water bottle with a “thank you” and opened it.

She flashed him a smile, then picked up a small piece of the Funnel Cake.

“Here, try it.” Marinette said, holding it out to him.

He hesitated, giving her a look.

She rolled her eyes with a chuckle. “Come on, you liked the lattes. Just try it, okay?”

Her smile widened when Damian sighed in resignation. He leaned forward and let her feed him the funnel cake. Marinette flushed from embarrassment as she hadn’t expected to feed it to him herself, but he didn’t seem to think much of it.

“S-so? Your thoughts?” She held back a cringe when she stuttered. Great. Is that how the rest of this night’s gonna go?

Damian hummed. 

“It’s okay.”

Marinette shook her head. “You’re so picky.” 

The boy scoffed, though his lips held a smile. “You’re allowed to be picky when you have the money for it.” 

“True, true.” Marinette agreed.

She almost jumped when an alarm bell started ringing.

The two turned to see a little boy grinning from ear to ear and pointing out which toy he wanted from a game vendor.

“How do they stay in business?” Damian asked, watching the boy tightly hug his new, pink elephant. “The games are too easy to win.”

Marinette couldn’t help laughing. “Too easy to win? Most of those games are _rigged_ for failure. The mom probably paid the vendor to get the stuffed animal.”

Damian gave her an incredulous look. “How? I could win those with my eyes closed.”

Her smile faltered. Is he being cocky or does he actually believe that?

“Why don’t we play them then?”

“What?”

Marinette’s smile returned, this time more sly. “Let’s play the games, if they’re so easy.”

Damian narrowed his gaze at her. 

“If you want to.”

“Oh, I definitely want to.”

That’s how the competition began. Play each of the games together, and whoever wins the most, or has the highest scores combined, wins the whole competition. 

The first game was ring toss. Damian’s accuracy with the rings was uncanny, Marinette found out. She managed to get one or two, but he was able to throw _six at a time_ without a problem, each landing on a separate bottle.

“ _How_ are you that good at ring toss?” She asked. No wonder he thought all of these games were easy!

Damian shrugged. “Practice.”

Practice? _Practice_? What kind of things do you _practice_ to get that good??

Next game was a water gun game where you shoot the target to raise your icon to a certain point. Marinette had the luck of getting a gun with better water pressure, so she won that round.

“That shouldn’t count! It was pure luck!” Damian protested.

Marinette flashed him a smile. “Miraculous Luck, I’d say. I’m totally counting it, though.” 

Third game was Balloon and Dart. This was a close one, but Marinette and Damian ended up tying.

This continued for the next half hour with Marinette and Damian beating each other in different ways. By the time they finished, the sun had set, and the stars were glistening above them.

“What are we going to do with all of the prizes?” Damian asked once they finished the last game, holding up the handful of goods they’d won.

Marinette hummed, plucking a toy yo-yo off of the pile. There were definitely a lot of toys here that they didn’t need.

A soft gasp brought their attention to a little girl who was staring starry-eyed at the pile of toys in Damian’s hands. 

The two exchanged a glance, before sharing a smile.

“You want one?” Marinette said sweetly, handing her the yo-yo.

The girl eagerly took it, slipping the string onto her fingers and attempting to swing it around.

“Guess we know what to do with them now.” Damian commented, already starting to hand out the rest of the toys to passing kids.

Marinette smiled, taking half the pile to help. The grins from the kids and appreciative looks from the mother warmed her heart. 

“What do you want to do next?” Damian asked after they finished giving away the toys.

Marinette hummed, glancing around the theme park. They’d ridden all of the roller coasters, played all of the games..

“Oh! Let’s ride the Ferris Wheel!” She exclaimed. It’d be a perfect way to end the day!

Damian looked up at the attraction, a small smile crossing his lips. “After you.”

Marinette squealed, excitedly shifting from foot to foot before starting for the Ferris Wheel.

Because it was later in the day and school had long since let out, the amusement park was now packed with people. She could barely hear Damian telling her to slow down over the talking and laughing and screaming, nor did she register how many people she bumped into or squeezed past. 

It wasn’t until she felt a light pull on her arm that she turned back around.

“You’re hard to keep up with in a crowd.” Damian said.

Marinette laughed, giving an apologetic smile. Then her eyes trailed to their hands. 

Damian glanced down as well, and he started to pull his hand away from hers. “Sorry, I was trying to stay together.”

A blush bloomed across Marinette’s cheeks, and she giggled. He looked so uncertain. It was adorable, really.

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.” 

Now it was Damian’s turn to blush, and oh, if that didn’t give her butterflies..

The line for the Ferris Wheel was a bit long, but Marinette felt it went faster with Damian’s hand in hers.

They were still holding hands as they got on the ride and as they got to the top. The stars littered the clear night sky, almost as bright as the shining lights lining the roller coasters.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Marinette breathed, completely absorbed in the inky blackness of the night.

She didn’t see the way Damian’s eyes softened, or how his eyes were only on her as he said, “Yeah. It is.” 


	9. I'll Tell You Goodnight

Light flashed over head as they passed under street lights. The low hum of the motorcycle provided white noise to accompany the silence of the night. Marinette’s arms hung loosely around Damian’s waist, and he felt her head resting on his back.

 _She must be tired._ He thought to himself. They’d left the amusement park later than he expected they would. 

Despite this, Damian still felt somewhat disappointed when her family bakery came into view. It was odd to say, but he didn’t want the night to end. Being with her made him..relaxed. Happy even. How could he feel this way about a girl he just met? It didn’t make sense.

The motorcycle stopped in front of the sidewalk, right next to the glass door of the bakery. 

He didn’t move at first, listening to the sound of Marinette’s soft, steady breaths, feeling her chest rise and fall. 

She must have noticed the lack of movement after a while, because her head lifted off of his back. 

“Are we home?” The words were groggy and hushed, and Damian had a strange urge to hold her in his arms so she could sleep longer.

“Yes, you’re home.” He answered, matching her volume. 

Marinette hummed in tired annoyance, lazily sliding off of the motorcycle. “Thank you for the ride. I know it’s out of your way.”

He waved his hand in the air as if to brush off the comment. “No, no. I’m the one that stole you. It’d be unreasonable to make you walk home.”

She chuckled, making the dark night a bit brighter, and took off his helmet to reveal her disarrayed pigtails and crooked smile.

“Stole me, huh?” 

“Well, what would _you_ call it?” Damian asked, taking the helmet from her hands and tucking it between his arm and side.

Her bluebell eyes turned to the sky as she pressed a finger to her chin in thought. “I don’t know. Maybe..”

Her gaze flicked back to him.

“Saved?”

Damian’s eyes widened slightly. Saved? She thought _he_ saved her? From what? And why was it suddenly harder to breath?

“Marinette? Is that you?” 

His thoughts stopped short when Sabine called out to them from inside the shop.

Marinette sighed. “I should go. I’m already gonna be in trouble for skipping classes.”

“Sorry.” 

Hopefully her parents were as reasonable with punishment as his was.

“It’s alright. I had a lot of fun.” She smiled, her tone turning to a teasing one as she added, “At least we didn’t get interrupted by an akuma this time.”

Damian did his best not to show his irritation towards the reminder. There was another reason he spent the day with Marinette, or, at least, there was supposed to be.

“About the akuma attacks..” 

He hated ruining the last bits of their night together, but Bruce wouldn’t let him hang out with her anymore if he didn’t get information. 

“Do those happen often? I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Marinette gave a nervous laugh. “Oh, you have _no_ idea. It’s getting kind of ridiculous.” 

“They come from a guy called Hawkmoth, right? Do you know how it works?” 

Something in her expression hinted to him that she did, but she shook her head. 

“Not exactly. I know he uses negative emotions to create the akumas.” 

Negative emotions? 

“How?” 

“Marinette?” Sabine called again, not giving Marinette time to reply.

She gave him an apologetic look as she stepped towards the door. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”

Damian offered a smile. “It’s alright. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Marinette faltered, staring at him with a surprised look.

“Will you?”

It took a minute for the question to register.

_Crap._

They hadn’t planned that out yet, had they?

“Uh..” He trails off, lost for words. “I mean, if you want to?” 

He swiftly dug around in his pocket for a paper and pen. The ticket from the amusement park would work fine. 

“I don’t know what your schedule is for tomorrow,” He continued, scribbling a few numbers down and handing her the ticket, “But here’s my number. Hopefully we can work something out.” 

To his relief, she took it and glanced over the numbers. 

She then stashed it in her pocket with a grin. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to text you.”

A soft pause. 

Marinette pursed her lips together, like she wanted to say something else. Damian definitely wanted to, but he couldn’t place what it was that he wanted to say. 

“Well, goodnight.” She finally stated, spinning around to open the front door.

“Goodnight. Make sure to get some sleep.” He advised, fitting the helmet onto his head.

“No promises!” Marinette called over her shoulder just before the glass door closed behind her.

Damian sighed, starting up the motorcycle with a small smile. This was starting to become a problem. He shouldn’t want to follow her inside so badly.

Nevertheless, his grin was all too obvious as he sped down the road towards the hotel.

-

“You were out late.” 

Damian didn’t need to see Dick to know his smile was obnoxiously coy.

“And I’m going to be out even later.” He replied flatly, going straight to his suitcase to pull out his costume. “Don’t you have your _own_ room?”

Mayor Bourgeois was quite generous himself, if you could call it that. He was so wrapped up in impressing them that he gave them three rooms _each_.

“Bruce wanted me to make sure you came back.” Dick answered, setting his book to the side. “I thought we agreed that Robin was on the bench for now.” 

Damian rolled his eyes. “In the daylight, yes, but Father didn’t say anything about going out at night. As long as I’m not seen, it’s not a problem.”

“Damian-”

“I’m just going on patrol. I’ll be back in an hour, easy.”

Dick paused, and Damian hoped that meant he would leave him alone.

“You’re not allowed to stop by Marinette’s house.”

Damian grit his teeth. It took all of his will power not to pull out the dagger hidden in the secret pocket of his suit case.

“I wasn’t _going_ to. At least not specifically. It’s patrol. You go everywhere.” 

“Mhm. Sure.” 

Damian sent him a sharp glare, before yanking his suit out of the suitcase and storming for the bathroom. He had better things to do than hogtie his brother over the side of the balcony, anyway.


	10. Collision Course

Marinette flopped onto her bed with a contented sigh. The amusement park was officially her favorite place now. Or maybe it was Damian? Considering his reputation, she was surprised to find out how sweet he was, if not a bit intense.

Her parents were upset about her unexplained absence, of course, but after hearing what happened, they calmed down.

“I guess if you’re with a Wayne..” Tom trailed off, uncertain.

“But make sure to text us next time.” Sabine added sternly, to which Marinette gladly obliged. She hadn’t felt this happy in months! If they were giving her a few strings to hang out with Damian again, she’d accept it.

“Marinette, it’s getting late.” Tikki spoke up, bringing her from her thoughts.

Marinette hummed, pulling herself into a sitting position. It was her night for patrol, wasn’t it?

“Let’s try to hurry. As fun as that trip was, I’m exhausted.”

Tikki nodded with a bright smile, flying up next to her holder. “Ready when you are!”

“Tikki, spots on!”

~~~~~~

The city was quiet for the most part, save a few passing cars and some laughing from a couple strolling down the street a few blocks away. A refreshing breeze pressed against her cheeks as she swung from building to building. Although patrols left her sleep deprived sometimes, Ladybug enjoyed scouting Paris. It gave her a chance to clear her head and relax, as odd as that may sound.

She paused on a rooftop to catch her breath- swinging around Paris was harder than it looked -and took the opportunity to scan the alleyways. A few cats were digging around in the trash bins. Nothing unusual there. A homeless man was snoring in another corner of the streets, poor soul, but still normal. Everything seemed to be in order.

Except..

Movement caught the corner of her eye, and Ladybug turned just in time to see a shadow slip past her on the rooftop.

She whirled around and slung her yo-yo towards the possible threat. Whoever it was blocked her yo-yo by holding up a weapon of their own and letting the yo-yo wrap around it. Ladybug readied herself to lunge at him when a car drove by, creating a small flash of light. Just enough light to see who she was fighting.

“..Robin?” 

The figure paused.

“I don’t remember telling you my name.” 

Ladybug’s shoulders sagged in relief. So it was him.

“The internet can tell you a lot these days.” She said lightheartedly, tugging on the string of her yo-yo.

Even though she couldn’t see his face all that well, Ladybug knew he was surprised when her yo-yo unwound itself from his weapon on its own and returned to her side.

Robin recovered quickly, crossing his arms. “You’re out late.”

“So are you.” Ladybug smiled. “I’m on patrol.”

“Same here.”

“This isn’t your city.” The comment came out ruder than she intended. It was just odd for a visiting hero to take patrols, especially when said hero wasn’t asked. 

“Call it a habit.” He replied impassively. If he had been offended by her tone, he didn’t show it.

Ladybug started chewing on her bottom lip. “Call it a habit”. Did that mean he’d been a hero for a long time? If so, why was he there? How long did he plan on staying? There were so many questions and so little answers!

“So.. what are you doing here?” She began, starting small. There was no telling how much he would share while in costume, or if he liked to share at all for that matter.

Another passing car reveals the mental debate flicking across his features. 

“We’re here to investigate the Hawkmoth situation.” 

Ladybug tilted her head to the side. “We?”

Robin sighed in annoyance. “The Justice League.”

Now, _that_ caught her attention. If she remembered correctly, the Justice League was a team of superheroes from all around the world. Why would they be investigating something like this? Surely, there are other problems that are much more urgent.

“Are they _all_ in Paris?” 

Thankfully, he shook his head. That many heroes suddenly arriving in Paris would only cause panic anyway. 

“No. Just me and a couple of others.” 

Ladybug nods, taking in the information. If Robin was here, then that meant one of his companions was probably..

“That means Batman is here, right? Since your his sidekick?”

The glare she received sent a shiver up her spine. 

“I am _no one’s_ sidekick.” He said through gritted teeth, his hand twitching for his utility belt.

“I-I’m sorry I didn’t mean it like that!” Ladybug tried to amend, flailing her arms. “It’s just what the article said..”

Robin scoffed, turning his glare to the roads below. “Of course that’s what it would say.”

Ladybug cringed, involuntarily shifting from foot to foot. Perhaps she should change the subject?

“You said you were here to investigate Hawkmoth? Is there anything I can help you with?”

A tense pause.

“Actually, yes.” He answered, reluctance clear in his tone. “I need as much information as I can get.” 

_And we need as much help as we can get._ Ladybug thought to herself. After two years of hardly any leads, a fresh pair of eyes wouldn’t hurt.

“Let’s talk at the Eiffel Tower. It has a good view of the city so I can still keep an eye on things.”

Robin looks to the famous tower with a calculating expression. 

“Fine. It’ll take me fifteen minutes.” 

Ladybug’s eyes widened in surprise. They were half way across town from the eiffel tower. Sure, she could get there in five minutes, but she had a magic yo-yo. Robin didn’t have any powers.

“Okay. Meet you there.” She said anyway, taking her yo-yo from her side again. If he thought he would be there in fifteen minutes, she wasn’t going to argue.

-

The Eiffel Tower, being in the middle of Paris, was much brighter than the roof she had stopped on earlier. Ladybug could actually see Robin making his way towards her.

_Wow, he’s really moving fast._

The boy leaped over rooftops like it was nothing, occasionally using a grappling hook when the gaps were too wide. Despite having no magic suit, his flips and leaps appeared to be effortless. How long would it take for her to become that skilled?

True to his word, Robin was at the top of the Eiffel Tower within fifteen minutes. 

“How are you so agile?” She couldn’t help, but ask as he settled on the railing next to her.

The hero spared her a glance. “I was trained for combat from the moment I could walk. It might as well be another part of me now.” 

His brows furrowed slightly at the last part, leading her to assume that _“Or the only part of me”_ would go unsaid.

“So how much do you know?” She asked, not willing to pry. It was getting late, and she needed to tell him what she could.

Her efforts were rewarded by the grateful look that softened his sharp features.

They exchanged information for a good half hour, talking about Hawkmoth and the League. Ladybug told him about the miraculous and its power, along with the reasons Hawkmoth had for wanting the miraculous. In turn, Robin told her about how they heard of the situation during what they called “Hero’s Day”. After the blow out of villains, the League grew concerned about whether or not the situation was capable of expanding past Paris. That’s how he ended up in their city. 

“You’re a scout?” 

Robin’s eye twitched, something Ladybug recognized as irritation at this point.

“..I guess you can call it that, yes.” 

She nodded in understanding. That explained a lot. 

Her eyes trailed to his costume, simply admiring the craftsmanship. The blend of black and red created a perfect cloak for the shadows. Whoever made it knew what they were doing and what the outfit was going to be used for. 

Then she saw the symbol. The same “R” symbol that was on Damian’s motorcycle.

“If you don’t mind me asking..” 

She had to know.

“What’s the ‘R’ stand for?” 

Robin absently ran his hand over the bright, yellow letter. “‘Robin’, obviously. It’s just the emblem.” 

Ladybug bit her lip. That wasn’t the answer Damian gave her.. Or maybe the “R” on his motorcycle also stood for “Robin”? But that didn’t make sense..

“So it’s not a brand symbol?” 

This was such a bad idea. Why was she even asking?

His brows knitted together. “What? No. I guess you could call it that, but it’s only on _my_ tech so..” 

Ladybug’s chest tightened. “Only on his tech”? Then why did Damian have it on his motorcycle? Unless the symbols were uncannily similar, then..

“Welp! I better get going!” She announced, awkwardly jumping off the railing. Nope. Absolutely not. They were _not_ doing this tonight. 

Robin stood up as well. “Thank you for the information. I should be leaving the city in about a week.”

“No Problem!” Ladybug responded, completely ignoring the fact that the Waynes should _also_ be leaving in a week. “If there’s anything else you need, just let me know!” 

The abrupt exit might have been inconsiderate, but she didn’t care. It was late. She was tired. They were _not_ going to dwell on the suspicious amount of coincidences surrounding Damian and Robin. 

No sir.


	11. Lazy Mornings

Marinette slid into her back row seat the next morning at school and sprawled across her desk, burying her forehead in her forearms. Why did she only have unlimited energy when she was transformed? If she’s losing sleep over the miraculous, shouldn’t it give her an extra boost during the day? What a faulty design.

Her phone vibrated next to her, causing a lazy smile to tug at the corners of her lips. She knew who the text was from.

**~Did you sleep well last night?~**

She clicked on the small, circular picture of Damian Wayne, and the text popped up for her to reply.

**~Not really, but it’s fine. Sleep and I were never great friends lol~**

Three dots appeared on the screen after her message, informing her that he was typing out a reply.

**~Try not to fall asleep in school.~**

She let out a soft chuckle. Despite the lack of emojis or “lol”s, it was obvious to her that he was teasing.

Before she could text him back, a hand slammed down onto her desk.

Marinette jumped, clutching her phone to her chest and looking up to see Alya bearing an aggravated expression.

“Mind telling us what yesterday was about?” She more of demanded than asked.

Marinette blinked. “You mean with Damian?” 

The reporter’s eyes narrowed, proving her correct.

“We met the other day at the banquet hall, and-”

“Bullcrap!” Alya interrupted. “There’s no way you met Damian at that party because he skipped, remember?”

“Well..” Marinette began, her voice raised an octave. How does she explain this without causing more conflict?

“Wasn’t Marinette gone too?” 

The class- who was now _deeply_ engrossed in the conversation- turned to Lila.

Marinette caught the subtle smirk Lila threw her way before the brunette curled in on herself with a sheepish smile. 

“Oh- I’m sorry. It’s just, Marinette wasn’t at the banquet, either. After walking in with us, she disappeared, then came back when Damian was on the stage, only to leave again right after.”

Her fists clenched around her phone. How did Lila always find the worst times to join an argument?

Alya paused, and Marinette could tell she was taking Lila’s implication hook, line, and sinker. At least this time Lila was telling the truth.

“You helped him escape?” 

Interesting choice of words. 

“How could you! You knew how important this was to Lila!”

Her patience was starting to run dangerously low. “Didn’t Damian clearly say that he didn’t know her?” 

Alya scoffed, crossing her arms. “She said he wouldn’t remember her since they were too young.”

Marinette wanted to scream. Damian was _older_ than Lila! If he didn’t remember her from being too young, then she _definitely_ wouldn’t remember _him_. Why was everyone so desperate to believe her!

Her phone vibrated in her hands. Another text from Damian. He must have gotten curious when she didn’t reply earlier.

Alya, either curious or nosy or both, leaned over Marinette’s shoulder just in time to see his name flick across the screen.

“Oh, no _way_!” The red-head fumed. “You’re _texting_ him?!” 

As quick as a blink, Alya took the phone from her hands and started typing.

“What are you doing?” Marinette panicked, immediately standing up to retrieve her phone. 

“Redeeming you.” Alya answered curtly, dodging her grabs. “Asking him to talk to Lila is the least you can do after all of this.” 

The blood drained from her face and she nearly tripped over herself. No. No, he absolutely could _not_ talk to Lila. Not that he would buy into any of her stories, but the thought of setting him up with her in any way made Marinette sick for multiple reasons.

She was _this_ close to full on lunging at Alya when Mlle. Bustier walked in.

“What is the meaning of this?” The flabbergasted teacher asked. 

Alya faltered, and Marinette took the opportunity to swipe her phone back. 

“Hey-!”

“Girls, please take your seats.” Mlle. Bustier instructed tiredly.

The two did as they were told, neither being subtle about their glares towards the other. Marinette loved Alya, but if she tried to pull a stunt like that again..

“Marinette, your homework from yesterday is on my desk. Make sure to complete it along with today’s assigned homework by tomorrow.”

She furrowed her eyebrows, turning her attention to the teacher. “I’m not in trouble for leaving the school?”

Mlle. Bustier chuckled. “No, of course not. Damian Wayne personally called to ask for your services as a guide around Paris.”

Huh. He thought everything through didn’t he?

As if on queue, her phone buzzed in her hands again. 

_Oh, what damage did she do?_ Marinette inwardly groaned as she clicked on the green icon to read over the messages.

The first was from Damian, right after his text telling her not to fall asleep in class.

**~Hello? Did you actually fall asleep?~**

Then came Alya’s impromptu reply

**~Can you talk to Lila?~**

**~What?~**

**~Just for a few minutes. She really wants to~**

**~Who is this?~**

Marinette snorted at the last text. It was good to know Damian wasn’t easily fooled both in person and over electronics. 

Finally, She typed out an answer.

**~I’m so sorry! Alya got a hold of my phone.~**

The image of Damian scowling flashed through her mind.

**~It’s fine.~**

Dots formed beneath his text, before disappearing. Then they popped up again.

**~Do you want me to come get you?~**

Marinette blinked. Come get her? Because Alya took her phone? That wasn’t necessary. Honestly, she was used to Alya’s gimmicks by now. There was no need to skip another day of school over little things like this.

_However.._

Her eyes grazed over the classroom. Right now, she had the choice to stay here, in a room full of delusional teenagers, or go have another fun day with Damian. ~~_(and possibly Robin)_~~

Which choice seemed better?

She started typing on her phone.

~ **I’ll be waiting out front.~**


	12. I'm Only One Call Away

Damian’s sword slashed left and right as he went through the motions. His Father said he couldn’t go on morning patrols, and Paris wouldn’t let him jog through the streets peacefully. Therefore, casually sword practice was his alternative.

He’d gone through the steps about five times when Dick abruptly entered his room.

“Damian, Bruce said we’ll be leaving for the Louvre in about ten minu- Woah! What are you doing?” He asked, eyeing the samurai sword in his hands.

Damian rolled his eyes, not bothering to pause his practice. “What does it _look_ like I’m doing?”

Dick stepped forward and grabbed the hilt of his sword. “You can’t do that stuff in here. What if someone sees you?” 

“I’m not going to let myself slip just because a few nosy civilians might wander into my room.” Damian snapped back, jerking his sword out of Dick’s grasp. Seriously, though, did Paris have no sense of privacy? 

His old brother sighed in exasperation and was about to reply when Damian’s phone buzzed.

Upon hearing it, Damian threw his sword onto the suitcase and practically lunged for the electronic. He ignored Dick’s blank expression as he typed in the pass-code and opened the messaging app. Marinette had texted him about not getting much sleep, but hadn’t responded to his comment about not falling asleep in school. 

“I’m assuming that’s Marinette?” Dick said after a moment. If Damian hadn’t set his sword down already, he might have cut out the man’s vocal cords to get rid of the smug tone.

“Can it, Grayson. It’s none of your..” Damian trailed off as he read the text she’d sent him.

~Can you talk to Lila?~

“Something wrong? Did she not agree to your moonlit dinner?” Dick teased next to him. 

Damian scowled at him, but didn’t reply. Yes, something was wrong. Lila was that Italian girl from yesterday, right? Why would Marinette want him to talk to her? That didn’t make any sense.

~What?~

~Just for a few minutes. She really wants to~

Okay, something was definitely wrong. 

~Who is this?~ 

Marinette tried to hide it yesterday, but he saw the way she looked at that brunette. There was no way she’d ask him to go talk to her. The only explanation is that someone must have hijacked her phone.

He got up from the bed and snatched his sword as he started for the door. If those idiots hurt a _hair on her head_ -

“Woah, where do you think you’re going with that thing?” Dick asked, moving in front of the door as a blockade.

Damian raised the sword without much hesitation. “To see Marinette. Move.” 

“With a _sword_?”

He shifted into a fighting stance. Damian didn’t have time to explain things. He had no way of knowing what her classmates did to get her phone. Maybe they injured her to take it, or locked her in a closet somewhere, or even threatened her to send the message herself.

His phone buzzed again, and Dick took the opportunity to steal his sword from him.

“Hey-”

“You’re _not_ leaving this room with a samurai sword. Check your texts from your girlfriend and calm down.” 

Damian grit his teeth, clenching his fists a few times before taking his phone out of his pocket. 

~I’m so sorry! Alya got a hold of my phone.~

His shoulders sagged slightly in relief, but his scowl deepened. How often did her classmates resort to thievery for personal gain? At least she was okay.

~Do you want me to come get you?~ 

He had half a mind to go pick her up whether she answered or not. 

Her reply came a few minutes later.

~I’ll be waiting out front.~

“I’m going.” Damian announced, stashing the phone in his back pocket and moving around Dick.

“Damian, wait-”

“I’m not looking for your permission, Grayson.”

“ _Obviously_.” Dick remarked, crossing his arms. “I was going to tell you to take the limo. Bruce didn’t appreciate you using the R cycle for a joy ride yesterday.”

Damian glanced over his shoulder, hiding a faint smirk. He forgot he actually _liked_ Dick sometimes.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”


	13. The Cavalry

Marinette rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet as she waited on the front steps of the school. Good thing she was able to use the guide excuse again. Going to a school full of clueless people might have some perks after all. 

Thankfully, she was able to sneak out during class. That meant they wouldn’t have an audience like they did yesterday. (Although she can’t say she hated it when he outed Lila in front of everyone like that)

A limo pulled around the corner and rolled to a stop in front of the school, effectively blocking her vision of the street.

She frowned slightly, standing up on her tiptoes to continue looking for Damian’s motorcycle. Why was there a limo here, anyway? Did Adrien have a photoshoot today that she wasn’t aware of?

The back door swung open, and out stepped none other than Damian Wayne.

“D-Damian?” Marinette blanched, nearly dropping her backpack onto the pavement from shock. 

He chuckled towards her reaction. “Why so surprised? I said I would come get you.” 

Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she quickly recovered.

“Well, yes, but in a _limo_? Isn’t that a bit extreme? Where’s your motorcycle?” 

“Father preferred me leaving it at the hotel.” He paused, looking around the empty entry way. “Where’s the paparazzi? They were surrounding us yesterday.”

Marinette gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah.. They _should_ be in class right now.”

Emphasis on should. She knew they were most likely spying on them through the windows or something. Alya was nothing if not persistent. 

Damian frowned. “That’s a shame. I was really looking forward to talking to them about stealing your phone.” 

Something about his tone informed Marinette he didn’t intend on doing much talking. That, and the fact that he subtly cracked his knuckles while he spoke.

“It’s not worth it.” She assured, waving her hand to dismiss the subject. “Let’s just get out of here.”

To her relief, Damian seemed to relax, and he gestured towards the car. 

“After you, then.” 

Marinette giggled, playfully rolling her eyes as she walked down the steps and got into the limo. The mix of leather seats and freshly cleaned carpets created a euphoric, “new car” smell.

“Where do you want to go?” Damian asked, settling in the seat next to her.

That was a good question. Where _did_ she want to go? They’d already went to a cafe, her place, the amusement park.. Where else could she take him? Maybe the movies? But he might get too much attention there..

“You’re staying at the Bourgeois hotel, right?”

Damian gave her a confused look. “Yes. Why?”

A grin spread across her lips. “Wanna do a movie marathon?”

“Movie Marathon?” 

“Yeah!” Marinette said eagerly, shifting in her seat to face him more. “We could order snacks and pick out some movies to watch together. It’ll be fun!” 

The boy nodded, though he still seemed a bit unsure. “Didn’t you say you were tired though? I assumed you would want to take a nap somewhere.” 

She couldn’t help snorting towards the comment. It was a sweet gesture, but she couldn’t possibly sleep now, not when Damian was right next to her. He had a way of rejuvenating her energy just by talking to her.

“I’ll be fine. It’s not like it’s a running marathon.” She joked, gaining a small smile from Damian.

“If you’re sure. We can watch them in one of my hotel rooms. The Mayor gave me, like, three different suits.”

“Yeah. He has a habit of doing that for rich people.”

-

“Oh my gosh.”

“Yep.”

“I thought you were joking?”

“You should know I’m not big on that.”

Marinette snorted. That was true. Damian wasn’t big on cracking jokes, though he did have a good sense of humor. 

“I just don’t know how he has this much room.” She marveled, wandering over to a door on the far side of the room. 

“How did he manage to make all three of your rooms connect??” She then asked, opening the door to reveal yet _another_ suit right next to the suit she was currently standing in. 

Damian shrugged. “No idea. The room I sleep in is passed that next suit. I didn’t know if you’d be comfortable watching movies in my personal room so..”

Too many images flicked through Marinette’s mind at the comment, and she instantly felt heat rising to her cheeks. It didn’t help that she caught a glimpse of Damian’s flushed cheeks as well.

“Uh- no, I- this is-” She cleared her throat. “This room is fine.” 

An awkward silence settled in the room, and Marinette suddenly had the urge to jump off the “deluxe” balcony outside. 

“I’m gonna go call for the movies and snacks.” Damian stiffly announced. They’d discussed which snacks and movies to get on the way there so he’d be able to order them with ease.

Marinette forced a laugh and absently fiddled with her shirt. “Right! Yeah, I’ll just..”

“Right. Go ahead and look around. I’ll be back soon.” 

They both whirled around and headed in opposite directions, Marinette into the other suit and Damian into the hallway.

As soon as she heard the door close, Marinette groaned. “Tikki, what is wrong with me?”

Her kwami flew out of the bag with a giggle. “Nothing’s wrong with you Marinette. In fact, I think he really likes you!” 

“Ugh! Tikki, you’re not helping! What about Adrien? How am I supposed to..” The beginnings of her ramble faded when her gaze landed on the door to the next suit. Damian’s room. If she walked in there right now, what would she find? More specifically, what _hero_ things would she find? If there were any, that is.

“Marinette?” Tikki called, flying in front of her holder’s face with a worried expression.

Marinette blinked, focusing on her kwami again. “Sorry, Tikki. I was just thinking.. What if Damian really is Robin? It would make sense, but.. What would I do with that information? I’m not sure if I should tell him if I know.”

What if he asks how she found out? Would she have to share her identity with him, too? 

Tikki’s smile softened, but before she could answer, the door to the their suit opened. 

“I called the front desk. They said the snacks will be up in about ten minutes, but the movies-” 

Damian stopped short and furrowed his eyebrows. “Did you see that?”

“See what?” Marinette asked innocently, desperately trying to hide the panic creeping into the pit of her stomach. 

“The red blur. Next to your shoulder?” 

“Red blur?” She frowned, idly looking around the room. Thankfully, there was no Tikki in sight. “I don’t see a red blur. What about the movies?”

Damian narrowed his eyes. For a moment, she thought he was going to start investigating the room. Instead, he settled for another brief scan and shook his head. 

“Sorry, the movies will be here in about twenty minutes. Do you want to set up the TV and snacks while we wait?”

“Absolutely!” Marinette beamed.

They walked back into the first suit to begin the process of hooking up the dvd player. It didn’t take long for the other employees to deliver the snacks and movies, and soon, they were huddled on the couch with chips and various remote controls. They’d selected a few different genres, mostly comedy or horror. (Damian was the one to pick horror, but Marinette was completely on board)

“You ready for the first movie?” Marinette asked brightly. 

Damian smiled at her from the other side of the three-cushion couch. “Ready.”

Her smile widened, and she aimed the remote at the dvd player. “Then let the movie marathon~” She drew out the last word with a mock referee voice as she clicked the ‘Play’ button. 

“Begin!”


	14. Angel with Blue Eyes

Damian tossed a popcorn kernel into his mouth, subtly watching Marinette’s head bob out of the corner of his eye. This was their third movie, and she still refused to take a nap. 

“ _I’m fine_.” She’d insist. “ _I’ve had worse days.”_

Her actions proved differently.

She grabbed for popcorn a few times, only to drop it before it got to her mouth. Then she’d chew on air for a moment, before reaching for another popcorn kernel. Damian finally pulled the bowl out of her reach after the fifth kernel. 

She still didn’t notice.

Now her head’s been bobbing for at least five minutes, and her eyes have been close for two. 

He shook his head with a soft chuckle. Honestly, it was impressive she hadn’t fallen forward onto the coffee table yet.

Just as he finished the thought, a light weight sunk into his shoulder, and he tensed.

Marinette nuzzled up against him, sound asleep from what he could tell. She looped her arms around his bicep and clung to it like a lost teddy bear. Her bangs scattered across her eyelids, and her cheek was squished against his shoulder. Lips parted slightly..

Heat rushed to his cheeks, and Damian looked away, heart racing. S-Should he wake her up? Was she comfortable sleeping in his room?

Then again, she needed the sleep. And it’s not like he _minded_ her using him as a pillow. In fact, he actually kind of.. Enjoyed it.

Hesitantly, he pulled his arm out of hers, instead wrapping it around her shoulders.

His arm jerk back when she shifted on the couch, muttering something he couldn’t quite catch, and Damian’s heart lodged itself in his throat. Was she more awake than he thought? Would she be upset that he put his arm around her? Did he just ruin their friendship?!

The girl didn’t give him any clues. She simply buried her face into his chest and breathed a contented sigh. 

He forced himself to take deep breaths, once again wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer against him. Her small frame fit snugly in his arms. The warmth she provided was heavenly, causing himself to relax as well. Damian could almost fall asleep right along with her, if his heart wasn’t pounding in his chest.

His other hand came up to brush through her through her hair. She seemed so fragile, yet so bright and strong at the same time. A beaming light he didn’t mind following to the ends of the earth. Something like.. Like..

“An angel.” He murmured thoughtfully, brushing her bangs to the side. 

She scrunched her nose up in response and mumbled something under her breath again.

He rose a brow. Sleep talking. She was sleep talking.

Curiosity pricked his mind, and Damian leaned closer to understand what she was saying.

It was hard to decipher, but he managed to pick out a few words.

_Miraculous Ladybug.._

_Tikki, spots.._

_Bye, bye little butterfly.._

Damian furrowed his eyebrows. Those were key phrases he’d heard Ladybug say during the akuma fight. What was she dreaming about? And who was Tikki? 

Marinette turned in his arms, hands twitching as she said, “Stupid Cat.”

He snorted at the flat tone. Now he _really_ wanted to know what she was dreaming about. 

His arms tightened around the ravenette when another bit of movement caught his eye.

He turned to the small handbag that sat at the end of the couch, but nothing happened. 

His eyes narrowed. He could have _sworn_ he saw it move just a second ago..

Maybe it was her phone? No, he didn’t feel the buzz.. What could it be then?

Damian glanced down at Marinette, who was still fast asleep, then back up at the bag. 

_Just a peak._ He told himself, reaching for the miniature purse. Just a peak to satisfy his curiosity and then they could go back to watching movies and letting Marinette doze on his lap. 

His fingers gripped the golden clasp. It’s not like she’d have anything too private in there anyway, right? It’s too small to hold something important.

Right before he popped it open, the door to the suite abruptly swung open, slamming into the wall on the other side from the force.

“There you are!” Dick grinned.

Damian whipped around to shush him, but Marinette was already up on her feet, scanning the room while shifting into a fighting stance. 

As soon as her eyes landed on Dick, she blew out a sigh of relief and sunk back into the couch. “Oh, it’s just you.”

 _Quick reflexes._ He thought to himself. _Oddly familiar reflexes, but still._

“Sorry, Damian said you two were hanging out. I didn’t know that meant cuddling.” Dick shrugged, a wicked gleam coming to his eyes.

Damian felt his skin flush a deep scarlet, and he grit his teeth. Of course that’s the first thing this birdbrain would point out. 

The comment hit Marinette like a truck, and she immediately fell into a stuttering mess.

“O-oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I totally crashed on you didn’t I? I probably drooled all of your shoulder and made you super uncomfortable and-”

“Marinette.” He cut off her ramble before she passed out from lack of air. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

She blinked at him, cheeks flushed a cute pink.

“Aw~ you don’t mind? That’s so cute.” Dick cooed. 

Damian twitched, his mind suddenly overwhelmed with the idea that all of his knives were just a few rooms away.

“However,” The man continued, “It’s not very gentlemanly to snoop through a girl’s bag while she’s asleep.”

His anger flew out of him in an instant, replaced with a frozen fear.

_Crap._

He thought Dick hadn’t seen.

“W-what?” 

Damian whirled around to see Marinette staring at him with a mix of disbelief and panic. 

“I wasn’t snooping!” He rushed to say, arms reaching out for her before quickly drawing back to his sides. “I-I just thought I saw it move and wanted to make sure your parents weren’t wondering where you were.”

Panic spread across her features, and she snatched up her bag from the couch. “So you-”

“I didn’t open it!” He added before she could say anything. “Dick came in before I could, but I swear I wasn’t trying to invade your privacy.”

Thankfully, Marinette seemed to relax when he said he didn’t open it. 

“It’s okay. I just have- er -something really special in here? I-I don’t want to lose it.” 

Damian nodded, though the excuse was a bit weird. He would have questioned it further, out of suspicion or genuine interest or both, but he figured he was on thin ice already.

“Did you find him?” Another voice piped up, drawing their attention to none other than his father standing in the doorway.

Damian wanted to face palm. Great. Just great.

“Oh, I found him alright.” Dick said with a jokingly scolding tone as he crossed his arms. 

A ghost of a smile passed over Bruce’s face. “I see. He’s not behaving properly?”

Dick gave a grim nod. “Put a girl to sleep and tried to steal her purse.”

Damian growled. “I did _not_.”

Bruce hummed with a frowned. “Probably kidnapped her too. She’s too pretty to follow him willingly.” 

Dick let out a laugh, while Damian clenched his fists. He was thoroughly tempted to flip them out of the suite himself.

Marinette giggled beside him, soothing some of his rage. Not enough. 

Bruce stepped forward, offering a hand to the ravenette. “I’m sorry I should introduce myself. Bruce Wayne. It’s a pleasure.”

Marinette smiled politely, shaking his hand. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The pleasure is mine, Mister Wayne.” 

The man gave a small smile. “Bruce will do.”

“If you don’t mind,” Damian bit off, glaring daggers at Dick and Bruce alike, “We’ve got a movie we’re trying to watch.”

“That’s not what it looked like when I walked in here.” Dick remarked, another wry grin crawling across his lips.

“ _Get. Out_.”


	15. Leisure Strolls

Marinette swung her legs back and forth as she sat comfortably on the park bench. The sun filtered through the vibrant, green leaves, blanketing her skin in a gentle warmth that brought a smile to her lips.

“You didn’t have to pay for my ice cream, you know.” She commented, biting into the waffle cone of her vanilla ice cream.

Damian shrugged next to her, smirk tugging at his lips as he finished off his mint chocolate chip ice cream. “I wanted to make it up to you for not being able to see you yesterday.”

She hummed in response, tucking the last bits of her cone into her purse for Tikki. That had been a shame. She really missed him yesterday, especially when the class kept drilling her about the “tours” with Damian. They still texted, though, which helped her weave through all of the questions. She also had another run in with Robin last night. It made her realize that the two had the same hairstyle.. And the same build.. And the same voice..

“Did you just put that in your purse?” Damian asked, raising an eyebrow at her bag.

Minor panic spiked in her chest. She always forgot how observant he was. 

“U-Uh, well-” Marinette fiddled with the hem of her light pink sundress. Find an excuse. Find an excuse! 

“S-Save it for later?” 

Damian gave her a flat look, and she could practically feel Tikki’s sigh.

“Save it. For later.” He repeated slowly, as if he were subtly asking if that was really the answer she wanted to go with.

Marinette grimaced. She should probably start coming up with excuses beforehand from now on.

“Yeah.. so anyway! How were the meetings? Did everything check out okay? All of the companies obeying the regulations?”

Damian narrowed his eyes at the change of subject, but answered anyway.

“It was as boring as I expected. Half of them were just trying to kiss up to Bruce for more money. The other half probably fell apart after we left from actually looking decent for too long.”

Marinette snorted. “Sounds draining.”

He breathed out a laugh. “It was. If you had come with us, I know it would’ve been a lot more interesting.”

A familiar warmth spread through her chest as the comment. She felt it a lot recently.

The two shared a small smile, but before they could continue the conversation, a series of screams erupted on the other side of the park.

Damian and Marinette both straightened. Was it another akuma? Oh, please not now!

To her relief, there weren’t any akumas in sight. Instead, she saw a band of giddy girls swarming a silver car and screaming at the top of their lungs. 

After a few moments of pushing, the car door swung open, and out stepped a blonde she recognized immediately.

“Oh, Adrien..” She thought aloud, watching as Gorilla firmly pushed the girls away from the young model. 

“Adrien?” Damian asked, pulling a face.

“Yeah. He’s a friend from school, but he’s also a model. I didn’t realize he had a shoot today.” Probably because she’s been a little.. Distracted.

Adrien had managed to get to the fountain unscathed when he noticed them. A shining grin spread across his lips before he started to approach them.

Marinette returned the smile and hopped up to meet him halfway, unaware of Damian’s steadily growing glare. 

“Marinette! I didn’t know you were going to be here.” Adrien greeted.

“Same here! We were just hanging out at the park.” Marinette replied, gesturing behind her to where she assumed Damian was still sitting on the bench.

Adrien nodded. “Sounds like fun. I wish I didn’t have a shoot so I could join you. We haven’t talked much this week.”

She giggled, fighting down a small blush as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. “Yeah, I haven’t been at school much, huh..”

A soft smile graced the model’s lips. “It’s not a big deal. The class is buzzing about you hanging out with Damian, though. What have you guys been up to?”

“Well-”

Marinette cut herself short when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders.

“Angel’s just been showing me around Paris.” Damian spoke up, casually pulling her closer to his side.

She couldn’t help the squeak that escaped her lips, heat practically radiating off of her cheeks now. What was he doing? A-And “Angel”? What was that???

Adrien blinked, also not expecting the sudden interruption. 

Nevertheless, he offered a smile and extended his hand. “Damian Wayne, right? I’m Adrien Agreste. Nice to meet you.”

Damian shook his hand, grip almost too firm, and pulled a tight smile. “Pleasure.”

Marinette’s gaze flicked between the two. Was it her or was Damian a bit more tense than usual? 

The odd atmosphere dissolved when Adrien’s photography called for him.

“Ah. I should go..” Adrien said with an apologetic smile, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. 

“No worries. See you at school next week!” She beamed.

“See you.”

Marinette watched as Adrien disappeared into the crowd of fans. Damian’s thumb lightly caressed her shoulder, causing her to look up at him. 

He was staring after Adrien too with his nose scrunched up in displeasure. She vaguely wondered why that was.

His eyes then trailed to hers, and he raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Marinette smirked, raising an eyebrow at him in a mocking way.

“‘Angel’?”

Damian’s face flushed a deep scarlet that reminded her of her spotted suit, and she giggled. This only caused Damian to become even more embarrassed. 

“W-Well, am I wrong?” He sputtered in defense.

Marinette laughed a little harder, because he’s so wrong, but she knows he won’t let her say otherwise. 

So, she simply laced her fingers with his that were still resting on her shoulder.

“Let’s go find something else to do.”


	16. The Art of Skepticism

Damian was still blushing as they wandered into the Louvre. He couldn’t _believe_ he slipped up like that, calling Marinette “Angel” out in the open. It was utterly embarrassing.

 _At least she didn’t get upset._ He thought to himself, sparing her a glance.

She simply watched the paintings and people they passed, oblivious to his inner wonderings. Occasionally, her fingers would drum against the back of his hand, and he’d give her hand a light squeeze in turn. It still boggled his mind that she hadn’t pushed him away when he put his arm around her earlier. Even more so when she _held his hand_ in response. What did it all mean? Did she like him? Did he like her? Did it matter either way?

Marinette’s purse bumped into his leg as they walked, drawing his thoughts to another problem. 

She still hasn’t taken that ice cream out of her purse. 

Not only that, but Damian was almost _certain_ he saw two, tiny, red paws take the cone when she stashed it in there. Something _had_ to be in her purse. The same something that made the purse move two days ago during the movie marathon. Why would she hide it, though? Was it something illegal? No, he couldn’t see Marinette breaking any laws voluntarily. Was it a pet? Who hides their pets in their purse?

“Damian?" 

Damian tensed, looking down to see Marinette staring at him with concerned, bluebell eyes.

"Sorry. Lost in thought. What’d you say?” He asked, forcing himself not to look down at the purse again.

“I was just asking if you have galleries like this in America, but-”A frown tugged at the corner of her lips. “-are you okay? It’s not like you to space out.” 

Damian put on a reassuring smile. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

She was right. It wasn’t like him to space out. It also wasn’t like him to obsess over what might be in some girl’s purse. Well, Marinette was way more than just “some girl”, but still.

“Anyway, you wanted to know about galleries in Gotham?” He asked.

Marinette stared at him for a moment, as if searching for some sort of lie. 

Then she smiled. “Yes, if you don’t mind.” 

Damian chuckled. Of course he didn’t mind. 

“I mean, we have a few galleries, yeah, but the Gotham Museum of Antiques is what’s popular.” 

She hummed, turning to the other paintings again. “I wonder what masterpieces they have there.”

“You should come visit sometime.” The comment was surprising, yet natural. Truth be told, he would love it if she came back to Gotham with them. Aside from the villains and his brothers, having her in his hometown sounded pleasant, if only for the fact that he didn’t want to leave her alone in Paris.

Marinette seemed surprised by the invitation as well, though she smiled anyway. “I would love to. Aside from the paintings, Gotham has quite the reputation in and of itself.”

“Reputation?” 

Marinette snorted, giving him a knowing look. “Don’t act like you don’t know. Gotham’s probably the villain capital of the world. I swear you guys have some sort of schedule planned out for each week.” 

Damian scoffed. A schedule? He _wished_. Villains were never convenient.

“It’s not like Paris is any better, though. The news comes out with a new akuma every other day.” He argued.

“But our villains are always new. Yours just come back every time.”

“Mhm. What about that bird guy? He came back- what? -fifteen times?”

Her sigh was deeper than he expected. “ _Twenty-seven_.”

Damian grimaced. “Either way, whatever reputation Gotham has, Paris is bound to be a runner up for that.”

Marinette tilted her head from side to side with a mockingly thoughtful expression. “I _guess_ I can agree with that one.”

They spent a few more hours at the Louvre, each pointing out similarities and differences between their cities. By the time they walked outside, the sun was starting to set.

“Wow..” Marinette said, staring at the golden horizon. “We spent a lot of time in the gallery.”

“We spent a lot of time talking.” Damian corrected, stopping next to her to enjoy the sunset.

She giggled. “True.”

The conversation trailed off, both simply enjoying each other’s company along with the view. 

Damian lightly stroked the back of Marinette’s hand with his thumb. During their time in the Louvre, they’d moved from his arm around her shoulders to them holding hands. He had to admit, he liked the way her hand fit into his. 

“So where do you want to go now?” He asked softly. The atmosphere felt so delicate, so serene. He didn’t want to ruin it.

Marinette drew a deep breath, soaking up the gentle calmness in the air. “As much as I love this, I should get home. I have to meet someone later.”

She gave him an odd look as she said the last sentence, like he was supposed to know something about the person she was meeting.

“We can start the walk there then.” Damian responded. No use in overthinking it. He needed to meet up with Ladybug soon anyway, so this was convenient.

He was just about to start towards her house when he felt it.

A drop. Right on his nose.

Damian flinched back, looking up at the sky. When did those clouds start rolling in?

“What’s u-” Marinette started to ask when a raindrop landed on her cheek.

Before they knew it, it was pouring. 

Great.

“I’ll call the car!” He shouted over the wind, hunching over his phone to hide it from the rain.

Marinette laughed in disbelief and snatched his phone. “Are you kidding? This is great!” 

Damian furrowed his eyebrows. Great? They were getting soaked!

She stashed his phone in her pocket, before flashing him a smile ten times brighter than the lightning that was splitting the sky above them. “First one to the bakery wins!”

And just like that, she was gone, laughing and sprinting down the street. The pure giddiness that radiated off of her was nothing short of contagious, especially when he saw her stomp through a few puddles.

Damian found himself running after her with a grin of his own, silently hoping these moments could last forever.

And maybe, if he had any sort of luck at all, they would.


	17. Midnight Revelations

Ladybug couldn’t hold back her squeal as she swung through the evening rain. Damian had to have at _least_ twice on the race home. And he called her angel! And they held hands again! Not to mention talking and laughing all day together!

She probably shouldn’t be thinking about this so much. Actually, scratch that, she _definitely_ shouldn’t be thinking about this so much. He lived in _Gotham_ , for Pete’s sake, a city that was all the way across the _ocean_ , and he was leaving in a week, at that!

Ladybug sighed, landing on the tip of the Eiffel tower. Despite knowing he lives on the other side of the world, she can’t help feeling light as a cloud. The few days she’s spent with him made her positively giddy, to be honest. It was hard to find the will to push that down.

A dark figure landed next to her, and Ladybug forced herself not to burst as she faced them.

“Ready for another Info-swap session?” Robin asked, a faint smirk on his lips as he settled on the railing.

Ladybug grinned, shifting on the bar as well. “Yep. You seem happy, though. Something good happen?”

She shouldn’t push it. She knew she shouldn’t push it, but seeing his reactions- like the way he looked at the rain with a fond smile -just made it too tempting.

“Nothing much. Just went to the Louvre with a friend.” He admitted.

Ladybug hummed. “A friend, huh? You sure that’s _all_ they are?” 

She could never tell you what possessed her to ask the question, but the rosy color that spread across his cheeks left her heart in her throat and butterflies fluttering through her stomach.

“I-I don’t know what you mean.” He stammered. “Anyway, do you have information for me or not?”

Marinette smirked, trying not to look too smug as she replied, “Sure. What do you want to know?”

Dam- er - _Robin_ arched his brow. “What else is there for you to tell me?”

“Well,” Ladybug sighed, leaning back on her palms. “We’ve pretty much cleared everything. Maybe I could tell you more about the guardian, or try to explain what kwamis are..”

“Kwamis?”

She smiled. Kwamis it is, then.

“Kwamis are small beings that are the source of our miraculous power. Each miraculous holder has one for their jewelry. We say a phrase and do a special dance, and the kwami gets sucked into the jewelry.”

She touched her earrings for emphasis. “My kwami’s name is Tikki.”

Robin seemed to do a double take at the name, which was odd.

“Are you the only one who knows that?”

Marinette frowned. “Knows..what?” 

“That name. Tikki.”

“Uhm.. yes? I’m pretty sure.” She answered, not entirely sure where he was taking this.

He only stared at her, a completely blank look on his face.

Ladybug shifted on the bar, starting to feel uncomfortable. Had she said something wrong? Was this just something he did?

She was about to change the subject when Robin let out an incredulous laugh and shook his head.

“W-What?” She asked, almost too afraid to do so.

“Nothing.” He smiled, running a hand through his hair. “I just can’t believe I didn’t realize the angel acting as my tour guide and the hero of Paris are one and the same. That makes way too much sense.”

Ladybug squeaked, feeling a familiar heat rush to her cheeks. “Angel as my tour guide”? “One and the same”? This is definitely her Damian, but how did he find out _her_ identity?

“Damian?” She said, solely out of confirmation.

“Marinette.” 

Silence passed between them. Her heartbeat fell into step with the pitter-patter of the rain above, soft and rapid. Damian was Robin. There was no denying it now. 

Marinette snorted, looking up to the sky. “Oh gosh, Tikki’s gonna kill me.” 

Damian chuckled, following her gaze to the clouds. “Can’t say I’m in a better position myself. Father specifically told me to lay low this week.”

Marinette’s eyes snapped back to him. “Wait, if _you’re_ Robin, then does that mean Bruce is-”

“Batman.” He finished with a nod.

Marinette swallowed, willing herself not to completely explode at the new information. She’d met _Batman_. While hanging out with _Batman’s son_ , who, of which, was also _Robin_. How did this even _happen_??

“Dick is a hero known as ‘Nightwing’, but he used to be a Robin, too.”

That got her attention. “How many Robins are there?”

Damian rolled his eyes. “There’s never a correct answer to that.”

Marinette laughed, half-curious and half-worried about the reason behind that answer.

“So- back to the main question -how did you know I was Ladybug?” 

Damian smirked. “Well, I’d like to say I know you anywhere-” Marinette pursed her lips to avoid smiling “-but you actually said ‘Tikki’ in your sleep during our movie marathon the other day.”

“Ha! Did I really? I didn’t know I talked in my sleep.”

“Yeah. It’s really cute, though.” 

Marinette blinked, certainly not expecting him to say that, and from the ever-growing blush on his face, he didn’t expect it either.

“I-I’m sorry. That’s uncalled for. I’m not even sure why I-”

“It’s fine!” She cut in. “I mean, it’s not like I didn’t technically do the same thing a few minutes ago..”

“Right..” Damian responded, scratching the back of his head. “ _Anyway_ , how did you know I was Robin? Assuming my- um - _angel_ comment wasn’t the give away.”

Marinette giggled. “Nope. I suspected you way back when you took me to the fair on your motorcycle.”

He face-palmed. “Of course! That didn’t play in my favor, did it?”

“Guess not.” She smirked. 

The rain faded into drips off of the Eiffel tower, creating a soothing petrichor in the air. Marinette drew in a deep breath, sliding her hand down the metal bar. Because of the gloves, she couldn’t feel the water drops, but the cool feeling remained.

Her hand bumped into Damian’s, and they shared a look.

Damian coughed, looking away as he put his hand on top of hers. The warmth in her chest that followed made her melt. 

“I should probably get back to the hotel.” 

She bit back a _Do you have to?_ and nodded. “That’d be smart.”

Their hands stayed put.

“Why don’t you come over tomorrow? I’m sure my father will want to talk to you about Hero’s Day.” He offered. 

Of course, she accepted, and with the promise of tomorrow as her motivation, she eagerly stood for the swing home.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Robin!” 

Robin smiled, pulling out his grappling hook. “Stay safe.”

“Same to you.” Marinette beamed, giving him one last wave before swinging off. Now to figure out how she was gonna tell Tikki..

~~~~~~

Damian stumbled onto the balcony with a grunt. Not his most graceful landing, but his thoughts were kind of elsewhere at the moment. Elsewhere being the fact that _Marinette_ is _Ladybug_! How did he not see that? Aside from Marinette being a literal angel- i.e. the only _logical_ candidate for the savior of Paris -she wore the _exact same_ _hairstyle_. How did he miss it? Was he slipping? Did the mask somehow dull his eyesight? 

He pushed open the glass doors, shaking his head for the fifth time that night. The amount of coincidence _alone_ was enough to make one dizzy. Not only were they both superheroes, they managed to meet each other in civilian form too! On his _first day there_. Uncanny, to say the least. He wasn’t complaining, of course. Just acknowledging the unusualness of the situation. Did this happen to her often? or was it him?

“Wow, and I thought you looked smitten when you came home soaked to the bone earlier.” Dick quipped, leaning against the door frame with a smirk.

Damian nodded, honestly too elated to be irritated. “Is Father home? You won’t believe what I just found out.”


	18. Let's Review

Marinette took a deep breath as she stood in front of the hotel doors. How does one prepare for this exactly? She was about to meet _Batman_ , the famous vigilante of Gotham, face to face. Sure, she’d met him a few days ago, but that was before she knew he was _Batman_!

“You can _do_ this, Marinette! Just walk inside and Damian will get everything started.” Tikki urged from the secrecy of her purse.

Marinette whined and started chewing on her bottom lip. Damian texted her last night telling her that Bruce had cleared his schedule- oh gosh, she’d made a big fuss already -and that she could come over whenever she wanted. Now, after a restless night of worries and what-ifs, she was here, questioning everything she’d ever done. What if she was supposed to come over last night after he texted her? What if they’d stayed up all night waiting for her and she never came? Or what if she was too early and they were all asleep? She’d have to linger in the lobby for hours until they got up or- _worse_ -someone would wake them up on her behalf! Then they’d be upset with her for interrupting their rest and send her back home for her incompetence, and she’d never get to see Damian again and-

“Marinette?” 

Marinette squeaked, looking up from between her hands. When did she curl herself into a ball on the ground? How long had she been sitting here like this?

“Are you alright?” Damian asked with a frown, kneeling down to her level. Dejavu much?

She let out a nervous laugh, shooting to her feet. “Ah, yes- I mean, okay? Why wouldn’t I be? I’m only seeing one of the most famous heroes in the _world_. It’s not like I’m also seeing one of the most famous billionaires in the world at the same time or anything, because that would just be icing on the ‘total freak-out’ cake.”

Damian laughed- soothing her nerves tremendously -and took her hand, effectively calming her buzzing thoughts all together. “Don’t worry. Despite my suggestions, Father’s as soft as a teddy bear. He just pretends to be dark and solemn.”

A small smile pulled at her lips. “Unlike you, who’s truly dark and solemn without a doubt.” 

The tease was half-hearted, but she felt her mood lighten when he threw her a smirk and said, “Exactly. Now let’s go up to the room. They’re waiting for us.”

They walked up to the room, hand in hand, and Damian brought her to the main suit of the hotel. He opened the door to reveal Bruce and Dick patiently sitting on the couch.

“Nice to see you again.” Bruce greeted with a smile.

Marinette felt the last bits of tension leave her shoulders and smiled back. “Same here. I understand we’re to talk about business?” 

Dick chuckled. “I should have known you would turn out to be Ladybug. Only Damian would end up with the most dangerous girl in Paris.” 

The two blushed at the comment, suddenly much more aware of their hands entwined together.

“You understand perfectly, Miss Dupain-Cheng.” Bruce said, taking hold of the conversation again. “Damian’s already told us about the kwamis and how some of the magic works, but I’d like to discuss some safety precautions and extra details with you.” 

Marinette nodded, wondering how he knew her last name. Then again, this was _Batman._ He probably knew everything about her by now, from her favorite color to the names of her stuffed animals. Now that she thought about it, that’s probably how Damian found out which school she attended.

“I’m happy to help too!” A small voice piped up. 

Tikki flew out of her bag before Marinette could stop her, hovering next to her shoulder. “I can answer nearly all the questions about the miraculous magic that you might still have.” 

Damian, Bruce, and Dick blinked, and Marinette cleared her throat.

“Uhm.. this is my kwami, Tikki.” She introduced, gesturing to the tiny creature.

“..Oh, Tim’s gonna love this.” Dick muttered, standing up to get a better look.

“So, _you’re_ the thing I’ve been seeing all week.” Damian remarked, walking around Tikki as well.

Her kwami giggled. “That’s right! You’re a lot more observant than the people of Paris.” 

“Practice.” He replied absently, narrowing his eyes at her antenna.

“If we could get back to the subject at hand,” Bruce interrupted, “I’d like to know more about this ‘Hawkmoth’ that’s been causing so much trouble.” 

Dick went back to his seat, and Marinette and Damian sat down in the separate chairs across from the couch. Tikki settled on the arm of Marinette’s chair. 

“I’ve already told you about his powers, and the wish that can be granted with the miraculous.”

“Yes, but what is he wishing for? Why can’t his goal be accomplished without the miraculous?”

Marinette sighed. “If I knew that, we might not be fighting anymore. Hawkmoth’s only come out into the open a handful of times when everything’s too chaotic to talk properly.”

Bruce hummed. “And you don’t have any leads on who could be underneath the mask?” 

“Well..” Marinette thought for a moment. “I mean, we had a lead, but it was quickly shut down.” 

“Why’s that?”

“Because the man in question became akumatized, meaning he couldn’t be Hawkmoth.” She explained.

“I see, and you haven’t had any other leads since then?” 

Marinette shook her head. As much as it pained her to admit, they’d had little to no progress over the last two years. Sometimes it felt as if this tyranny would never end. 

“Alright, that’s fine. The reason we came here was to make sure the situation wouldn’t get out of hand. According to Hero’s Day, Hawkmoth can akumatize multiple people, given certain circumstances. Is it possible that his akumatizations could spread to other locations, such as the rest of Europe or even Gotham?” 

“Not as long as he’s here.” Tikki spoke up. “Hawkmoth’s powers derive from emotion. There isn’t a certain range with which he can feel others’ emotions, and he uses that to find victims.”

“So what your saying is, he can only find people in whatever city he’s in.” Damian said, summing it up.

“Correct. Even with the help of an akuma that creates _more_ akumas, he can only be in one city at a time. That’s not to say he can’t send those akuma elsewhere, but more distance means less control, and his goal is to get the miraculous, which are here in the city.” 

“That’s convenient.” Dick commented, leaning back in his chair. “How do we beat him?” 

“The miraculous.” Damian and Marinette answered in unison.

The two shared a small smile, before Marinette continued. “If we can get the moth miraculous away from him, he’ll be powerless.” 

Bruce nodded. “Good. I’m glad to see you have it all under control. If ever want any help, you can give us a call. You have Damian’s number, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Yeah, you send him one text, and I’m sure he’ll come running. I bet he’d even swim across the ocean himself if he had to.” Dick snickered, dodging the pillow that Damian threw at him.

Marinette giggled, feeling that wonderful warmth in her chest again. “Well, I’m grateful to know he has my back.” 

She glanced at Damian, who was obviously trying to fight down a blush. 

He cleared his throat, focusing on the floor. “Of course.” 

Bruce smiled at the two, before getting to his feet. “Since we’re not needed here, I’m going to start packing. It was a pleasure to meet you, Ladybug.” 

Marinette pulled a smile to hide her disappointment. “The pleasure was all mine.”

Would it be weird if she said she didn’t want them to leave? Well, she supposed _Damian_ was the one she didn’t want to part with. How could she feel so strongly about someone she’d only known a week?

A tap on her shoulder pulled her out of her thoughts.

“I should probably start packing too, but do you want to sit in my room while I do?” Damian asked.

Marinette smiled. “Sure! I’ve been wanting to get a closer look at your costume.” 

_And spend as much time with you as possible before you leave._ She mentally added as she followed him to one of his own suits. At least she knew that he wanted to spend time with her too. She was pretty sure he did, anyway. Why else would he invite her for ice cream or pick her up for an amusement park date or have a movie marathon together or.. 

Marinette’s cheeks grew warm. She hadn’t realized just how _much_ they’d done together that past week. No wonder she felt so attached to him now.

Damian opened his bedroom door and went to his walk-in closet to pull out his suitcase. Marinette walked in behind him, eyes wide with awe.

The room was _huge_. A fireplace stood next to the door, right across from the king-sized bed resting in the middle of the room. The master bathroom- that looked more like a sauna, in her opinion -peaked around the door frame next to the bed. It even had two, large glass doors that led to a _balcony_! Honestly, how exorbitant could one person be? 

“Is all of this really necessary?” Marinette couldn’t help asking, wandering to the bed. She hopped up on the mattress, her body practically sinking into it. 

“Is what necessary?” Damian replied, reappearing with a sizable, black suitcase and setting it on the bench at the end of the bed.

“You know..” Marinette gestured vaguely around the room. “ _This_.”

“Oh.” His eyes glanced around the room. “I guess not, but who am I to complain?”

“You _guess not._ ” She scoffed. “Don’t act like you don’t enjoy it, you pretentious, rich person.” 

Damian laughed, sending her a smug smirk as he flipped open his suitcase. “Jealous?” 

Marinette snorted, laying back on his bed that was way too comfortable. “Hardly.”

Damian’s smile widened, and he crossed the room to his dresser for his clothes. She simply watched him go. He started with the bottom drawer and emptied each one from there. When he got to the top drawer, though, Damian pulled out a long blade, casually walking back over to put it in his suitcase.

Marinette sat up. “You have a _sword_?” 

“It’s a Katana, actually, but yes.” 

“I thought Robin and Batman didn’t have fatal weapons?” 

_Although I bet Kagami would like it. She might even have one herself._

Damian scoffed. “ _Robin_ might not, but _Damian_ wouldn’t be seen without a knife somewhere on him at all times.” 

“Oh? And how many knives do you have on you now?” She joked, fully expecting his words to be an exaggeration.

“Three.” He answered with a second thought. “One in my pocket, one in my shoe, and a bigger one strapped to my waist.” 

Marinette blinked. He _actually_ carried knives everywhere? How big was the one on his waist? Was it uncomfortable? 

“Do you know how to use the sword properly?” 

Damian tisked, like the very idea of offended him. “Of course I do. I wouldn’t carry it so close if I didn’t.” 

That was fair. With his line of work, it would be careless to have weapons he didn’t know how to use. Even if the akumas in Pairs weren’t as ruthless as the crooks in Gotham, She knew villains would grab anything that would pack a punch.

“Can I try?” She then said, sliding off the bed to get closer. She’d tried fencing at one point, but she assumed wielding a Katana was different. Kagami always looked so graceful when she practiced with one too.

“Try? What do you mean?” 

“Try.” Marinette repeated, grabbing the hilt. “Show me how to use it. Teach me a few of the simple moves you know.” 

Damian chuckled. “I can walk you through some of the formations.” 

“That’d be perfect.” She beamed, taking the sword into her hands. It was heavier than she expected. 

“Okay, so what you want to do is..” As he spoke, Damian came around behind her, and Marinette barely held back a squeak when he put his hands on her waist to help position her. 

“Damian, Bruce wants to know if you have-” Dick started as he walked through the door. As soon as he noticed them, though, he stopped. 

A wicked grin spread across his lips, and that’s when Marinette squeaked. 

“Man, we can’t leave you alone for two seconds without feeling her up, can we?” 

Damian’s glare was darker than a black hole as he yanked the sword out of Marinette’s hands and approached Dick.

“Woah, woah, woah!” Marinette intercepted him, flailing her arms. “There’s really no need for that, right? It was just a joke.” 

Damian’s expression softened slightly, but the grip on his sword remained tight. 

Dick whistled behind her. “Wow, you actually got him to stop. I’m impressed.”

Damian grit his teeth and went for the knife in his pocket. Marinette yelped, grabbing his wrist with both hands. He looked ready to murder! How could Dick be so relaxed about this? Is this how they usually acted around each other?

“Oh~ I’m so terrified.” Dick continued, only distressing Marinette further. “Anyway, the boys are gonna love hearing about this. Good job taming the beast, Marinette.” 

He closed the door just in time to avoid the throwing knife, which sunk deep into the wood. Marinette didn’t want to think about what it would’ve done to Dick had it hit.

“Are you..” She began, cautiously taking the sword back from him, “ _usually_ this.. threatening?” 

Damian’s hard glare immediately fell. “Only to enemies and my brothers. They can dodge, and if they can’t, they’ll learn to.”

Before Marinette could express her worry about the comment, blood-curdling screams cut the air.

The two froze, sharing a look. They raced onto the balcony, leaving the Katana and throwing knife behind, and scanned the surrounding area. It took a moment, but after another series of screams, the two caught a glimpse of an akuma a few blocks away.

Marinette sighed. How did Hawkmoth always manage to have the worst timing?

“Don’t worry. We’ll get this done quick and come right back.” Damian assured. 

“We?” 

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “You think I’m gonna let you and that furry have all the fun?”

Marinette snorted, shaking her head. “Suit up. I’ll meet you out there.”


	19. The Sacrifices We Make

Ladybug swung through the air, searching the streets for the akuma. The people below were in utter chaos, some running for buildings, some trying to make it to a car, and some.. stuck in over-sized baseballs?

“Any chance it’s gonna be a pillow-themed akuma?” 

A smile spread across her lips when she noticed Chat Noir running alongside her.

“Don’t think so, kitty. What do you know?”

“About as much as you, M’Lady. Weird baseball traps, unknown akuma source, and a cute bug as my guide.” He finished the last sentence with a wink, and Ladybug scoffed.

“ _Focus_. I’m pretty sure the akuma’s-”

A yelp escaped her lips as she twisted in the air, barely dodging a small, white object that flew right past them. Ladybug landed on a random rooftop and turned to see a baseball sink into the wall of another building. Chat Noir had just stopped himself when the ball abruptly expanded, throwing the building’s structure off balance. Civilians below screamed, watching in horror as the top half of it collapsed. 

The heroic duo sprang into action, scooping civilians off the street. By the time the stray drywall connected with the streets, everyone was safe and stored away.

“And it’s out of the park!”

A little boy stood in the middle of the street, dressed in a striped outfit with a cap, and held up a wooden baseball bat with a proud smile. 

“The crowd goes wild!” He continued in a referee-type voice. “Joueur! Joueur! Joueur!”

Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a look. “Joueur”? Is that the akuma’s name then? Is that even the akuma?

“Kids have been akumatized before.” Her partner shrugged.

Ladybug sighed, bracing herself for the oncoming fight. Sandman had been a kid too, and he’d taken away her powers. She couldn’t afford to underestimate anyone.

The boy put a hand behind his back, rummaging through the ball bag wrapped around his left shoulder. He pulled out another baseball, threw into the air, and hit it hard with his bat. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir dodged it easily and met each other at the other end of the street. 

“Ladybug and Chat Noir! Finally, the enemy team has arrived!” Joueur cheered. “Ready to play ball?”

Chat Noir chuckled and pulled out his staff, waving it in the air like a make-shift bat. “Batter up, little guy!” 

The akuma let out a delighted laugh, pulling out another ball. 

“What’s the plan, Bugaboo?” Chat asked.

“Get the bag.” Ladybug ordered, throwing out her yo-yo. If the balls were coming from the bag, the chances of it being the akumatized object were high.

She swung off, using her momentum to flip onto a nearby rooftop. The balls were Joueur’s main weapon, with his bat as the main initiator. He most likely needed to hit the balls _with_ the bat for them to expand, but that didn’t eliminate the possibility of the balls being activating by simply being thrown. Either way, all she needed to do for now was avoid the balls. Simple, right?

Joueur threw the ball into the air again and hit it with his bat, aiming straight for Chat Noir. Her partner hit it with his staff in retaliation. Unfortunately, as soon as it came in contact with his staff, the baseball expanded, not only wrapping around the staff, but his hands as well.

Her partner had the decency to grimace. “…Oops…” 

Ladybug face palmed with a groan. Great. Now it was down to just her.

“Alright, what’s our position?”

Or maybe not.

Ladybug turned enough to flash Robin a bright smile. “The akuma seems to be a kid, and he’s using a bat and baseballs as weapons.”

Robin nodded, kneeling next to her to get a better view of the area. “Know where the akuma is?”

“I think it’s in the backpack.”

“And you’re the only one who can purify it?”

“Far as I know.” Because really, counting all the things the kwamis have kept from her for “her own good”, there could be a whole other miraculous temple she didn’t know about.

“I’ll cover you. Once your friend’s finished playing around, he can help distract the kid.”

“Okay. Be careful.” 

“You too.”

They split up, and Ladybug started for the end of the street while Robin dropped down in the middle of the road. 

“You know, a good batter aims for a specific target.” She heard Robin remark as she crept past Joueur via rooftop.

The little boy huffed. “I _did_ aim! I got Chat Noir in a baseball trap!”

Robin scoffed, sending the hero a skeptical glance. “That amateur? He’d get himself trapped in a paper bag.”

“Hey!” Chat protested.

The kid scrunched up his nose. “I still aimed!”

“Tell you what,” Robin started, subtly reaching for his tool belt. “If you can catch me before I get to you, I’ll let the whole world know you’re the best baseball player. You can prove me wrong, and when the fur ball behind me finally uses his cataclysm to escape, you can capture _two_ heroes. That’ll make you much more famous, don’t you think?”

Ladybug almost laughed at the way Chat’s face lit up from Robin’s idea. She loved her kitty, but sometimes he could be a bit dim.

“Deal!” Joueur shouted, quickly adjusting his cap before throwing another ball into the air. 

Robin, as expected, had no trouble dodging the first baseball. He used a bat-arang- that’s the name he’d given his daggers, apparently -to expand the baseball prematurely, then jumped over it. This continued as Ladybug slipped down one of the fire escapes, hiding in the shadows of an alleyway next to Joueur. Chat Noir had called his cataclysm by now and found a hiding place of his own to recharge.

 _Alright, gotta be quick._ She told herself, shaking off the nervousness of seeing baseballs the size of cars being hurtled at Robin. Even though she assumed he was Damian beforehand, having confirmation made it harder for her to watch him in dangerous situations. Nevertheless, she’s sure he feels the same about her in that regard. So, the sooner they finished this, the better.

Ladybug bolted from the alleyway, jumping over cars and maneuvering around other citizens currently held in baseballs. Joueur had become too engrossed in his game with Robin to notice her, and right as he let go of his bat to grab another baseball, she snatched his backpack off of his arm. Despite the material, it ripped in half like a flimsy piece of paper, and Ladybug readied her yo-yo for the akuma.

..except nothing came out. 

_What_? Ladybug furrowed her brow. _Where’s the akuma?_

“Ladybug, look out!” 

In her confusion, she didn’t notice Joueur’s scowl or his steadily growing bat.

“You. Broke. My. Backpack!” He yelled, pouring all of his rage into a swing.

A pair of hands pressed against her back, and Ladybug stumbled forward. She heard Damian grunt behind her, followed by a sick, cracking sound that made her heart stop in her chest.

“Robin!” She cried, whirling around to find him.

His body slid- or rather skipped- across the street from the impact, only coming to a stop when he slammed into a car. Robin grit his teeth and curled in on himself as much as he could, his hand clutching his left arm. 

She was at his side in an instant, trying her best to help him sit up.

“Keep going.” He bit out. “I’m fine.”

“You’re _fine_?” Ladybug repeated in an exasperated tone. His shoulder was swelling, he was covered in blood from the pavement nicking his skin, and, despite the suit, she could see the way his arm twisted unnaturally- probably broken. He was most certainly _not fine_. 

“Behind you!” 

Joueur came back full force, but this time she refused to let him take another victim. Ladybug wrapped her yo-yo around his bat and used it to sway them both to the side, away from Damian.

“Did I miss anything?” Chat asked, finally rejoining the fight.

“Get the bat!” Ladybug snapped in response. If the backpack didn’t have the akuma, then the bat had to be the akumatized object. 

Chat Noir did as he was told, jumping in to help distract Joueur so she could call her secret weapon.

“Lucky Charm!” 

Magic shimmered in the air, dropping a spotted baseball into her hands.

 _Seriously? Give the baseball-themed akuma another baseball?_ She thought with irritation. This wasn’t going fast enough! She should just throw the ball into the air now so Damian could-

Her eyes widened. Throw the ball into the air..

“Hey, Joueur!” 

Both Chat and the akuma looked her way as she held up the spotted ball with a smile.

“Only one ball left. Are you ready to step up to the plate?” 

Joueur grinned, immediately shifting into position and twirling his bat with anticipation.

Ladybug held the ball up in the air as if she were a pitcher and threw it as hard as she could towards the akuma.

He hit it without a problem and got so excited watching it soar that he dropped his bat to let out a wild cheer.

“Chat Noir! Cataclysm!” 

Her partner thankfully took the hint and swiftly turned Joueur’s bat to dust. 

..Still no akuma.

“What?” She shouted, full on panicking now. Where else could it be? Was he hiding the object somewhere else? Would a kid be that smart? What if she couldn’t find it? What if she couldn’t make it to Damian in time because she couldn’t defeat this akuma? What if-

The familiar black blur of a bat-arang zipped through the air, slicing the bill of the boy’s hat. Chat Noir and Ladybug turned to see Robin, who was now standing with his left arm limp at his side and his right arm outstretched from throwing the weapon. 

A small akuma emerged from the broken part of the cap.

The two heroes blinked as it fluttered into the air. How did he..?

 _No time for questions._ Ladybug shook her head and pulled out her yo-yo. 

“Time to de-evilize!” 

She snatched the akuma, easily purifying it before letting it loose once more.

A small gasp of pain brought her right back to Robin’s side.

“What were you thinking?” She scolded, putting his arm around her shoulders to help him stand.

“I was thinking you were in trouble. Was I supposed to just let you get hit?”

“When I have a miraculous that protects me? Yes!” 

Robin shook his head. “You need to find the lucky charm to cure the city.”

“But you-”

“Will be _fine_. As soon as you cast the cure, I’ll be good as new.”

Ladybug frowned. She didn’t want to leave him, but the akuma hit her baseball quite far, most likely a few blocks away. Luckily, she remembered which direction it flew in.

“Stay here.” She finally relented, carefully setting him down on a bench. “If you so much as _try_ to stand, I will never forgive you.”

Robin breathed out a laugh. “We wouldn’t want that.”

Ladybug chuckled too, but the jest was short-lived when she noticed him wince again. 

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

She threw out her yo-yo, knowing the baseball wouldn’t be easy to find. She could only hope the pain was really as light as he claimed. 


	20. Bandages and Bargains

Damian took deep breaths, trying to block out the throbbing pain in his arm. It’d been a while since he got hit this hard by a villain. Usually in Gotham, Batman and the others helped far too much for him to ever get seriously injured. Of course, he still had a decent amount of pain tolerance, but now that his adrenaline rush had worn off..

Ladybug ran off around two minutes ago to find the lucky charm, though it felt like hours. Chat left right after she did to protect his identity. If he was being honest, Damian needed to get out of the streets too. His Father had been extremely specific about keeping “Robin” under wraps in Paris. No doubt he’d get reprimanded for this afterwards. At least Marinette was safe.

Magic rushed through the air above him, swarming the streets and buildings. Everything it touched returned to its previous condition, as if nothing had damaged it at all. 

_Looks like she found the ball._ Damian thought. Just in time too. His arm had started to swell when the miniature Ladybugs covered it in the shimmering light. The pain, along with the injuries, completely vanished. In a matter of seconds, his arm was brand new.

“Incredible..” He muttered, clenching and unclenching his fist. Damian knew Marinette’s cure fixed everything, but experiencing it first hand was entirely different from what he expected.

“Robin!” 

Speaking of Marinette.

Damian barely got to his feet before Ladybug threw her arms around his neck. 

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt anymore right?” She asked, frantically checking him for injuries.

A chuckle escaped him, and he pulled her into a hug of his own. “I told you, I’m fine.”

“Oh, good.” Ladybug sighed. “Then it won’t hurt when I do _this_.”

Damian flinched back as she smacked him in the shoulder.

“Hey!”

“ _That’s_ for being reckless.” 

He scoffed. “You’re punishing me for saving you?” 

“Absolutely.” She replied, crossing her arms. “Aside from needlessly putting yourself in danger, you don’t have a miraculous that protects you like I do.”

“Needlessly putting myself..” Damian shook his head, almost laughing in disbelief. She didn’t get it did she? 

“If you think I’m going to stand by and watch you get hurt just because it won’t be as severe, then you obviously don’t know me at all.”

Ladybug frowned. “I get the frustration, but we have to be reasonable about this-”

“ _Marinette_.” The use of her civilian name caused Ladybug to pause. He wouldn’t have said himself had he not been sure they were alone on the street. 

Damian gently grabbed her hand and looked her in the eyes- those beautiful, captivatingly blue orbs. “I would rather die first before I let anything touch you.”

Her eyes widened, and he watched as a deep, scarlet blush bloomed across her cheeks.

“Dami-”

A high pitched beeping interrupted them. Ladybug put her free hand on her earring and tisked.

“I have to go before I detransform. You should leave before someone sees you too.”

His hand tightened around hers. They should have left a good few minutes ago, actually, but he couldn’t help dragging it out. Father was leaving tomorrow, after all. Despite having her phone number, Damian didn’t know when he’d actually see her again in person. Would this refreshing warmth in his chest stay in Paris with her?

“I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” He had to go home and pack, among other things, or else he’d invite her back to the hotel, but he had to know that he’d see her again, even if it was just to say goodbye.

Ladybug stared at him for a moment, her gaze filled with words unsaid, but the incessant beeping from her miraculous forced them apart.

“Tomorrow.” She agreed. 

Her soft, yet sad smile was the last thing he saw as she swung off with her yo-yo. 

“Tomorrow.” He repeated to himself, watching her swing out of view. 

Suddenly, tomorrow couldn’t be far enough away.


	21. Tearful Goodbyes

Marinette was half tempted to transform as she sprinted down the sidewalk. Damian was leaving today, and he invited her to see him. Of course she accepted, because how could she refuse seeing off that wonderful boy she’d come to know so deeply over the past week? The steadily growing weight in her chest told her she couldn’t. It would be a lie to say the thought of him leaving didn’t rip apart every fiber of her being, though.

It’s crazy, isn’t it? A simple boy had carved his way into her heart so easily. They’d known each other for a mere week, but it felt like a lifetime. She knew this wasn’t a permanent goodbye, as they still had cell phones, but that didn’t stop her from wilting when she saw Damian putting his suitcase in the trunk of their limo. Even if they could talk over the phone or text, that would never quite fill the gap between them. The warmth of his hand in hers couldn’t travel across the ocean. 

“Damian!” She called out as she crossed the last bit of distance between them.

He turned to her with a smile, though they both knew it was more forced than usual. “Marinette. I’m glad you could make it.”

“I wouldn’t miss it.” She replied light-heartedly. 

Damian closed the trunk of the limo, then leaned on the back of it and crossed his arms. “That was the last of our luggage. As soon as Father finishes talking with the Mayor, we’ll be leaving.”

Marinette clasped her hands behind her back. “So soon?”

He nodded. “The flight is a good ten hours. We need to get an early start or we won’t get in till tomorrow.”

She nodded as well, unsure of what to say. They’d talked about anything and everything the entire week, but anything said right now simply sounder forced and painful. There was so much she still wanted to do and see with him, so many things on the tip of her tongue that she couldn’t quite bring herself to say.

“You can come with us, you know.” 

Marinette blinked. “What?”

The proposal was so sudden and quiet. She wasn’t sure if she’d heard him correctly. 

“To Gotham.” Damian elaborated, somehow finding the courage to keep her gaze as he spoke. “We have plenty of room in the mansion, and I’m sure the Justice League would like to meet you. It wouldn’t be forever, just..”

Marinette smiled. For a moment, she thought about throwing everything away and accepting. Honestly, running away with Damian sounded only too perfect.

Unfortunately..

“I’m sorry, but I can’t. Ladybug’s the only one who can purify the akumas. I have a responsibility to stay here.” 

He sighed. “It was worth a shot.” 

She chuckled at the comment, finally stepping forward to give him a hug. He accepted immediately and wrapped his arms around her waist, tucking her snugly against his chest.

Marinette closed her eyes to hold back tears, instead focusing on the soft rhythm of his heartbeat. Who knew when she’d be able to hear it again.

“Damian, is the luggage packed?” Dick’s call caused a reluctant separation.

“Yes, everything’s ready.” Damian answered.

Dick and Bruce came outside then, most likely to check themselves before loading into the limo.

“You got the extra luggage, too?” Dick asked next, popping open the trunk again to sift through it.

“Of course I did.” Damian snipped. “I’m perfectly capable of packing the car, Greyson. I’m not an idiot.”

“I know, I know. I just thought you might be..” He trailed off, glancing at Marinette. “Distracting today.”

Damian scoffed, though Marinette couldn’t help snorting. He’s irked easily for someone who was raised by assassins.

“Everything ready?” Bruce spoke up, retwisting the knots in her stomach. 

“Yep. Everything’s good to go.” Dick replied, closing the trunk of the car again.

 _Not everything._ Marinette thought. Damian certainly wasn’t “Good to go”. She didn’t want him to leave. She didn’t want _anyone_ to leave. Meeting Damian and Dick and even Bruce had helped her on an unbelievable level. Their visit had changed her, as odd as that may be for strangers. She didn’t like to think they could just.. _disappear_ as quickly as they arrived.

And yet, that was all she could watch them do as Damian gave her hand a final squeeze. 

“Marinette, I..” He swallowed. “I’ll text you when we get home.”

She managed a last, watery smile. “R-right.. Okay..”

They were heroes. They both had a duty to protect their cities respectively. She couldn’t ask them to stay for the same reason he couldn’t really ask her to go. 

_Sometimes_ , She supposed, wiping away her tears as the engine started, _despite the connection, people just aren’t meant to be together._

How shattering that this had to be one of those times.

~~~~~~

Damian fell into his seat, not even bothering to put on his seat belt. Marinette.. If he sat a certain way, he could still see her in the rear view mirror. She looked about as lost and broken as he felt. Why did they have to live on different sides of the world? Hadn’t life been cruel enough to him already? He’d been presented a perfect angle, only for her to be ripped away by something as trivial as “heroic duties”. Yes, they were somewhat important, but so was she! 

Bruce and Dick exchanged looks. 

“You know.. Hawkmoth is still roaming Paris.” Bruce began.

Damian didn’t bother glancing their way. It’s not that he didn’t care- even though he didn’t -it’s that he wanted to see Marinette as much as possible before they left. Surely, Father could wait to talk about the Justice League report until _after_ his heart had been completely stomped into the floorboard.

“And from what we’ve heard, Ladybug and Chat Noir could use as much help as possible.” Dick continued.

Damian paused, suddenly interested in what they were implying.

“Not to mention, it would be easier if the League had eyes in Paris to make sure the situation didn’t escalate.” Bruce said.

He faced them fully now, eyes wide and heart racing. Did that mean.. ? Were they saying that he could..?

“How fast will it take you to get your bags out of the trunk? I don’t want to miss our flight.”

That was all he needed to hear. Damian flung open the car door, stumbling outside as fast as he could. 

Marinette- oh sweet, sweet Marinette -with puffy eyes, gave him a questioning look. 

He was at her side in seconds, picking her up and spinning her in the air with a smile so wide it hurt. 

“W-What are you doing?” She yelped, gripping his shoulders for balance.

“I’m staying, Marinette!” 

Her mouth dropped open. “S-staying? As in here?”

“Yes, as in here.” He laughed, setting her back on the ground. “And.. there’s something I’ve been wanting to do since I met you.” 

His hand cupped her cheek, and he briefly caught her eye before carefully pressing their lips together in a kiss. Marinette sighed, sending him through the roof as she pulled him closer to kiss him back.

Maybe life wasn’t so cruel, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second story transferred!! I hope you all enjoyed it, and please let me know about any mistakes in the posting! Love y'all and thanks for reading <3


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